Naruto of the Immortal Clan
by Apex Soldier
Summary: Naruto is saved from an angry mob by a mysterious person. Not much is known about him except that he is an Immortal. He takes Naruto with him on a year trip to train him. The outcome, just read and find out. Naruhina and other pairs, still pending though.
1. Pathetic

**Yo! It's Me! Yeah, I wrote a new story... Again...**

**This time, Naruto won't be shy like in Naruto: The Tale of His Life... Or The loudmouth stupid kid like in the Manga/anime...**

**He will be stronger [not too strong... Unless i change my mind...], Smarter and more aware of people and their feelings [If you catch my drift *wink-wink*]**

**Also, I'd like to thank T-biggz for giving me the idea and for BETA-reading... I guess he's like the co-author for this but I'm not sure... Technically he would be...**

**Anyways, Enjoy the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or 300... One belongs to the creater and the other one actually happened...**

* * *

"It's a boy." The doctor said as he handed the young boy to his mother. His father was smiling down at him, not believing that he helped create such a beautiful creature. The young boy had blond hair, gray eyes for now but he knew they would be the deepest blue anyone will ever see. His mother held the boy in her arms in a loving embrace.

"Hello there young one, I'm your mother, and that right there is your father." said the red haired woman. The boy stopped crying and looked up at his mother. He started giggling and grabbed his mother's finger with both hands. He started playing with it as his parents watched on with pride and love.

The father then stared at his lovely wife. She had been a bit of a tomboy the first couple of weeks he had first met her. After she had opened up to him, he knew he had found the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. His wife looked up at him and smiled at him. He smiled back and then saw a flash go off. The father looked across the room to see the doctor with a camera. The doctor smiled at them and handed them the picture. Subsequently, they heard something that they never expected to hear.

"IT'S KYUUBI! THE NINE-TAILED FOX!"

Many ninja arrived on the scene to see Kyuubi attacking their village. No one knew exactly why he was attacking Konoha. Konoha has never had a past history with the biju, not one that they knew of. However, they were not about to let it kill them all and destroy their precious village. They fought with everything they had, but it still wasn't enough to stop Kyuubi. It just ignored their futile attempts to stop it and continued to rampage the village.

Far off in the distance, someone with blond hair rode on top of large toad, moving at high speeds to the fight. He held his newborn baby in his arms in hopes to stop Kyuubi.

"Let me be there on time." The mysterious man said. Then he smirked as a sudden thought. "I'm starting to be as bad as Kakashi."

Many were about to give up hope but all of a sudden, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, appeared on top of Gamabunta, the chief toad. He had his usually jonin vest, navy blue shirt, pants and shoes. He also had his famous white robe with flames embedded at the bottom. He held his new born child in his arms, praying he would forgive him when he grew up. For what? For sealing Kyuubi in him.

Minato was making the biggest sacrifice in his life; risking his own life and the future life of his son, Naruto Namikaze. He knew the only way to stop Kyuubi would be to seal him into a new born child. But he couldn't ask anyone else to give up their child if he wasn't willing to do that himself.

There is a price to be paid with sealing Kyuubi into Naruto, and that is his life, though he couldn't care less. As long as it saved the village, Naruto and Kushina, he didn't care.

Kushina Uzumaki is Minato's wife. She was the one who gave birth to Naruto. He would've announced it long ago but Konoha's advisers, Homaru and Koharu, advised him not to. He was foolish to have listened to them but it couldn't be helped. After giving birth to Naruto, Minato told Kushina to remain there while he went to stop Kyuubi. He hoped she would forgive him, too. Now here he stood, facing Kyuubi, Naruto crying in his arms and a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"I'm sorry Naruto… I just hope they see you as the hero that you truly are." Then, he started the sealing jutsu and sealed Kyuubi into Naruto. It was struggling and Minato almost didn't pull it off, but thankfully, he had an unprecedented amount of chakra. At the last second, he managed to seal Kyuubi into his only son. After that, he used the Eight Trigrams Sealing. "There, there my son. I know you don't understand this, but thanks to this seal, you'll be able to access Kyuubi's chakra to help you whenever you need it." He said, trying to calm down a crying Naruto. He kept rocking Naruto until Naruto fell asleep. Minato had no energy left and he knew he would die soon. Knowing that his village is safe, he would be able to rest a lot more peacefully. Unfortunately, today apparently was not his day as someone appeared in front of him.

"Minato, something's happened to Kushina." A white haired man said. Minato's eyes widened at his words.

"What do you mean Jiraiya?" Minato asked coldly. Jiraiya flinched at the coldness in Minato's voice. He didn't want to be the one to tell him, it would just devastate him.

"She… Well, after you left, she insisted on helping defend the village. I was there and told her she had to rest but she knocked me out and went to protect the village. When I awoke, I went to look for her but… she was no where to be found…"

"No… You don't mean that…" Minato asked fearfully.

"I… I think she's dead Minato." Jiraiya reluctantly said. Minato didn't believe it; he just couldn't.

"But she wasn't found; that doesn't mean she's dead…" Minato said. Jiraiya just shook his head.

"It's highly unlikely that she's alive." Minato just looked down at his son. Even though he looked like him, Minato knew he would be just like his mother. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be alive long enough to see if it is true.

"Take care of my son, Jiraiya. Take him back to the village and make sure he's seen as a hero. The hero who helped stop Kyuubi from completely destroying Konoha. Also, make sure he takes the name Naruto Uzumaki. I don't want my enemies coming after him." Minato told Jiraiya as he handed Naruto to Jiraiya. Jiraiya nodded and disappeared into the night. Minato stood, looking at the night sky.

"Be tough my son, I doubt the village will respect you but I hope they do respect my last wish. And as for you Kushina…" Minato smiled as he stared into the moon for the last time before closing his eyes. "I know you're alive, Kushina. You're just too stubborn to die." Minato said as he fell to the floor dead. Minutes later, several ANBU picked him up and headed for the village.

[*.*.Time Skip – 5 years.*.*]

"Get back here demon and pay for that apple!"

The day started out as usual, someone accusing the five year old, blond haired kid of stealing something from them and the blond kid running for his life as a mob formed to beat him. Naruto was running down the busier streets of Konoha, hoping to lose them in the crowd.

"I already paid for it!" Naruto yelled before disappearing into the crowd. The mob stopped and started swearing, as they knew they wouldn't be able to find him now. They separated and left to continue their day. Naruto smiled as he saw the mob leave. He laughed at them as he walked home, eating his apple in peace. He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going and soon ended up in the park. He looked around confused, wondering why he was at the park but just shrugged and went to the swings.

He was swinging for a couple of minutes before some orange blur ran straight at him and tackled him. This caused Naruto to fall back, off the swing and onto the ground. He let out a groan before looking up and seeing a small orange fox looking eagerly at him. Naruto got up and picked up the fox.

"Uhm… Hey…" The fox immediately jumped out of Naruto's arms and licked his face. Naruto laughed as the fox continued licked his face. "S-Stop… Come on… I-I-It tickles." It would be another couple of minutes before the fox stopped, but it was still hyperactive. Naruto took some time to calm down before he stood up. He walked over to the fox and patted it on the head. He then started to walk away. The fox looked back at him and started following him. Naruto looked back and saw that the fox was following him.

"Are you following me?" He asked. The fox seemed to have understood because the fox's head did a motion the looked to be a nod. This surprised Naruto, he didn't think animals were that smart. Now it was time for the harder questions. "Why?" He asked, wondering if the fox would talk. But all the fox did was stand on its hind legs and repeatedly tap Naruto's stomach with its front paw. Naruto sweat dropped, he was kind of hoping the fox would have said something. He sighed and continued walking, the little fox walking right behind him.

Naruto kept walking and found himself at Ichiraku's ramen bar. He smiled widely and ran inside. He noticed that the fox wasn't following him and felt somewhat disappointed. He sat down on the chair and was about to order when Teuchi, the owner, stopped him.

"Sorry Naruto, you know the rules, No pets." Naruto tilted his head.

"What do you mean? I don't have a pet." Naruto explained. Teuchi just pointed to his head. Naruto reached up and felt the little fox, it sleeping silently on his head. Ayame came out of the kitchen to see what was going on. It was in that exact moment that the little fox decided to stretch and scratch its ear with its leg. Ayame squealed at how cute the fox was. Both Naruto and Teuchi sweat dropped as Ayame grabbed the fox. The fox just stared confusedly at Ayame then looked back at Naruto.

"Fine; I'll take the ramen to go then." He said as he took out his Gama-wallet. The fox stared at Naruto's wallet, then jumped from Ayame's hands and snatched it from Naruto's hands. "Hey!" He then sped after the little fox. He was right behind the fox and jumped so he could grab the fox. Regrettably, the fox saw this coming and jumped to the left, making Naruto make a face planted on the sidewalk. When he got up he saw the fox but not the wallet.

"Hey, where'd you put my wallet?" Naruto asked. The little fox looked to his left, then his right before looking back at Naruto and tilting his head. Naruto sweat dropped and stared at the fox that was surprisingly calm. He sighed and decided to go home since he didn't have the money for Ichiraku's ramen. He started walking home and again the fox was following him. When they reached his house, Naruto turned to the fox.

"Sorry little guy, but I'm not allowed to have any pets." The fox's ears went down and it looked sad. This got Naruto sad; he didn't want to see the little fox sad. The fox walked away into a dark alley and disappeared. Naruto walked into his home, thinking about the fox. He made some instant ramen since it was the only the only thing he could afford and sat down on the couch to watch TV. He then got tired of watching TV and went to bed.

It was midnight and Naruto was still thinking about the little fox. He was thinking how lonely the fox must be, how afraid it must be being alone. Naruto got off his bed and went outside. He looked into the dark alley he saw the fox entered and started looking for it. He spent five minutes in the alley but he still didn't find the fox. He was about to give up when he heard something move in the trashcan next to him. He opened it up, hoping to see the fox but instead saw a rat inside eating something out of a can. Naruto quickly closed the lid and headed home. When he got in, he went out his window and sat on his roof. He looked up into the sky.

"I know what it feels like… To be alone, wandering the streets in the middle of the night hoping to find something to eat…" Naruto said to himself. He knew even though it was just an animal, it didn't mean that it didn't have any feelings. Naruto kept looking at the sky while he hoped that the fox would be alright. Then he felt something small get on his lap. He looked down and saw that it was the little fox from earlier. He smiled at it as the fox looked back at him. His smile grew as he saw the fox with a wallet. Naruto then noticed it wasn't his wallet. In fact, it actually had more money than what he had in his old wallet. The only similarity was that fact that it was still a Gama-wallet.

"Wait, if this isn't my wallet, then whose is it?" Naruto asked. Across the village in Tanzaku town, a white haired man was looking for his wallet. He knew he had it, he saw it before he entered the village. Then he remembered he saw a small orange blur running around him. The orange blur must have been the thing who stole his wallet. He got angry but then remembered that the security guard was waiting for the white haired man to pay him.

"I swear I had it in here somewhere." He said to security guard. The security guard just grabbed him and threw him out of the "gentlemen's club". The white haired man's face connected with the hard concrete with a sickening crack.

"And don't comeback until you got enough money." The security guard said before closing the door and leaving Jiraiya outside, unconscious.

Naruto picked up the fox and then it yawned. Naruto took the fox and walked back into his house. He got one of his pillows and put it on the floor next to his bed. Then he put the fox on it.

"Good night… Hmm, you need a name don't you? Ok then, how about Shouta?" The fox shook its head, which still surprised Naruto to no end. "Daisuki? Takeo? Suzaku?" The fox shook its head at those names as well. "Wait… are you even a boy?" The fox shook its head.

"Ok then… Mai" The fox shook her head again. Naruto spent half an hour trying to give the fox a name but she didn't like any he had suggested. "Ok, last one before I give up… How about Miyu?" the fox made no motion, making Naruto think she liked it. "So Miyu?" The fox looked up at Naruto and made no indication of hating it. Naruto smiled and laid down on his bed. "Miyu it is." He said before falling asleep.

[*.*.*.*]

The signs of a new day made themselves known as the sun's light shown through the window into Naruto's room. It was too bright to ignore, which made Naruto wake up. Naruto slowly opened one eye and yawned. Soon, Naruto felt a small amount of pressure on his chest. He looked down and saw Miyu sleeping on his chest. He was about to get up and kick the fox out until he remembered yesterday night. He smiled at the memory and lay there, waiting for Miyu to get up. It didn't take that long, Miyu started moving and stretched. Then she yawned and scratched her left ear with her leg. Naruto laughed and picked up Miyu and set her back on his bed. He went to the bathroom and got ready for the day.

When he came out, he was wearing a white shirt with a spiral like shape in the middle, navy blue pants and blue ninja shoes.

"Come on Miyu; let's head out and see what happens today." Miyu yelped and followed Naruto out of the house. After he locked up, Naruto headed out and went to the park. While they were walking, Miyu was sitting on top of Naruto's head. People were talking about them as they passed by, saying thing like _"Ironic…"_ or _"So he finally figured it out…"_ and things similar to that. Naruto heard them all, and yet he didn't understand what they meant. After a moment's pondering over the matter he shrugged it off, and they reached the park. Naruto and Miyu spent hours on the swing before Naruto decided to walk around the village.

During his walk, he saw a boy with a black hair sitting near the edge of the dock. The boy looked up at Naruto and Naruto smiled at him. The kid ignored Naruto and kept looking at the water. Naruto pouted at him and kept walking. He just kept walking and walking until something hit him on the side of his head. He fell down and held his head in pain. He looked back and saw a drunken man looking extremely mad. The man said something but he slurred when he spoke. Naruto didn't understand why he attacked him or what the man just said. The man then picked up a rock and threw it at Naruto with amazing accuracy. Naruto kept holding his head, trying to avoid taking too much damage. The man soon got help from two other drunken men and the three started throwing whatever they could find at Naruto. Naruto shielded Miyu while the attack continued.

As soon as it has started, it ended, confusing Naruto. He heard punches being thrown and three bodies hitting the ground. Then suddenly, someone picked Naruto by his collar and brought him to eye level. The man was about thirty to thirty-five years old. He wore a black masked that covered everything under his eyes; eyes that held hatred, pain and bloodlust. He wore an plain headband that went across his forehead, but he wasn't a ninja. He was also bald, about six feet tall, and had a red robe on. Underneath the robe, Naruto could tell he had two swords. The man was scary looking, some would say sinister, demonic even. And yet, Naruto didn't feel as scared as he thought he should be.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked, making the man snarl.

"Why didn't you fight back?" The man asked. Naruto didn't get why the man asked him that.

"What?"

"Why didn't you fight back? Why were you just cowering down and letting them pelt you?" Naruto didn't answer the man's question. He didn't exactly know why either but he didn't want to tell the man that. He was brought out of his thought by the only word the man said. "Pathetic."

"What? Are you calling me pathetic?" Naruto asked angrily. The man sneered and let him go.

"Yes I am. You don't even fight back when people attack you for no reason. You're truly pathetic, a waste of my time." The man said before walking away.

"Hold on old man." Naruto yelled, making the man stop. He turned around and looked at Naruto.

"What is it that you want?" Naruto looked down at the floor and hesitated.

"I was wondering… How did you beat those men?" He asked, pointing at the drunken men. The man raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident in his face.

"Why do you want to know?" The man asked. Naruto looked up and the man saw determination in his eyes. He saw the eyes only great fighters and warriors have, something he didn't see every day.

"I want to know how to defend myself. I don't want to be pathetic, I know I'm not but I need to show everyone that I'm not. So will you help me?" Naruto inquired. The man thought about it, not knowing if he should agree or not. "Well?"

"I'm not sure. Meet me in the forest behind the park and we'll see if you have any fight in you." The man said before disappearing into a crowd. Naruto remained where he stood before he felt Miyu tugging on his foot. Naruto snapped out of it and head for the park again. He ran as fast as he could and when he finally reached the forest behind the park, he saw a log cabin in the middle of a clearing. Naruto went up to the cabin and knocked on the door. But before he could hit the door, he heard someone yell,

"Back here!" Naruto wasn't sure if the voice was talking to him or not, but he went to the back of the cabin and saw the man from earlier sitting crossed legged and in front of him, six swords were stuck in the ground. The first sword had a magnificently white blade, engraved and styled to resemble a flame. The guard had been modelled to look like a pair of angel wings, inlaid with the kanji for passion.

The second sword's guard resembled a butterfly; the engravings on the sharp blade so intricate in their design that it made Naruto's mouth hang open slightly. Its grip was made of a dark wood that looked warm and comforting – a feature that had the exact opposite feeling of the brutally sharp blade. The pommel boar a single topaz that glinted softly back at Naruto in the sunlight.

The third sword had a jagged blade of a blue color, with a pattern made of triangles and zigzags engraved into it. It looked brutal; the serrated edge giving it the impression that if it was dragged across your skin, there wouldn't be a lot left. The guard was wave-shaped, and its grip was formed like a tower.

The fourth sword had a beautiful blade; almost as if made from pure amethyst. It was etched with a pattern made of waves and rectangles, and its grip was of a black metal set with moonstones and aquamarines - the pommel shaped like a skull.

The fifth sword's guard was rectangle-shaped; its grip was of a black metal with a pattern composed of mesmerising spirals inlaid into it. The pommel however, was shaped like a globe, it's smoothness a complete parallel of its mostly sharp edged design.

The last sword however, caught Naruto's attention and heart as soon as he laid eyes on it. The weapon had a mysterious black blade; as dark as obsidian and yet as reflective as the most magnificent of metals. Dragons were engraved into the black surface in a deep, blood red – and Naruto wouldn't have been surprised if the crimson veins were ruby. The guard resembled its wings, made of a black metal, and the grip was wrapped with bandages. The pommel was shaped like a vicious flame.

Naruto didn't understand what he was supposed to do – but one thing was certain; the first and sixth sword caught his eye the most. The man gave Naruto a calculating stare before speaking.

"Sit down in front of the blades." The man said. Naruto went in front of the swords and sat down, still wondering why he was there. "Now choose." Naruto eyes widened and he looked at the man incredulous.

"What?"

"You want me to train you right? Well if you want me to train you, choose a sword!" The man yelled. Naruto just sat there; not believing this man would let a child use something as dangerous as a sword. Naruto took Miyu out of his head and told her to go to a safe place. He didn't know where the man was going with this but he felt like Miyu would be in danger if she'd stay on his head. Naruto then stood and picked up the first and sixth sword. Naruto thought they'd be heavy but they were as light as the wooden handle of a broom. The man raised an eye brow at this.

"Two? How very unusual. Very well then, two it is." The man said as he stood up and picked up the third and fifth sword. He got into a battle stance Naruto's never seen before. The man had his right hand over his head with the sword pointing at Naruto. The man's left hand was in front of him, his sword diagonal to his body. And his feet were spread out and kept him steady. Naruto just looked at his swords and then back at the man. He had his eyes closed, looked like he was concentrating on something. Then, his eyes suddenly opened and he charged at Naruto. Naruto panicked; never having used a sword before in his life.

"W-Wait a minute! I don't know how to use a sword, let alone two!" Naruto yelled, hoping to stop the man, but to no avail; the man just kept running at him.

"No one told you to pick up two blades!" The man yelled back. He swung the sword on his right. Naruto instinctively lifted the sword on his left and blocked the man's sword. This surprised the man for a second before he brought the other sword down in a vertical swing. Naruto again instinctively brought his right sword up to block his sword. Naruto recoiled back as he felt the strength the man used in his swing. Then the man kicked Naruto in the stomach, sending him flying back. Naruto stood up and dusted himself off. The man didn't move from where he stood.

"What, are you done?" Asked Naruto. When the man didn't answer, Naruto got mad. "Fine then, here I come." Naruto then ran at the man, who still didn't move. Naruto then vertically swung his right sword at the man, causing the man to block it and then forced it to get stuck on the ground. Naruto used his momentum to use the sword as a lift and kick the man in the chest, sending him back about two steps. Then, while still in the air, Naruto used his other sword to swing another vertical strike at him.

The man used both swords to block this strike. The man smirked at Naruto's determination and conation.

_'He's pretty smart for a brat.'_ The man thought as he moved away from Naruto.

"You're pretty good for a brat ya know that?" The man said, much to the annoyance of Naruto.

"I'm not a brat!" Naruto screamed as he charged the man again.

"Stop!" The man said, making Naruto stop in his tracks. He looked up confused by the man's action.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked. The man struck both swords into the grounds, making them stand. He them walked over to Naruto and crouched down until he was at eye level with Naruto. Naruto also struck both swords into the ground.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to use a sword, let alone two. Were you lying to me?" The man asked seriously. Naruto shook his head.

"I never did use a sword before. I'm not sure how I did all of this; I just did what first came to mind." He said, a bit confused himself. The man smirked at Naruto's words.

"That's good to hear, but if you want to prove to everyone that you're not pathetic, you might want to train more on your swordsmanship." The man said. Naruto smiled at his words and was about to say something but the man said something first. "Lucky for you, I am a great teacher." Naruto's smile grew and he bowed at the man.

"Thank you… uhm…" Naruto stopped; he didn't even know the man's name. The man laughed as he knew why he stopped.

"Just call me Amir." Amir said as he walked into the cabin. Naruto laughed a little bit, attracting the attention of Amir. "Does my name amuse you?" He asked. Naruto immediately stopped laughing and stood up straight.

"No, I just never heard a name like that before." He said. The man looked at Naruto and then went back inside the cabin. Naruto followed him into the cabin which he guessed was Amir's home. When he entered, all he saw was a couch, a small TV, about twenty or so swords hanging on the wall and robes with the kanji for 'Immortals' on the back. Naruto looked at the robes for a long time before he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Amir looking at the robes too. He had a distant look in his eyes.

"That is the robes we of the Immortals clan wear to show off our pride. We wore it mostly when we were Imperial guards." Naruto saw a sad look go on Amir's face.

"Were?" Naruto asked. Amir looked down and sighed.

"Yes, we were. I am the last of the Immortals clan. The rest died in a war not long ago. I survived only because they thought I died when I was really just unconscious. When I awoke, my brothers lay dead on the floor. I knew returning home would mean my death. I had no fear of dying, but I knew I was the last of my clan so I set off to rebuild my clan. I ended up here. They say they saw me unconscious right outside Konoha's wall." Amir said as he thought back on the war against Greece. Naruto looked at the robes, then at Amir and then again at the robes.

"So you don't have a family anymore." Amir shook his head. "Well, how do you become part of the Immortal clan?" Amir smirked as he moved closer to the robes.

"It's not easy. To be an Immortal you have to meet certain qualifications, which is said to be as worse as the Infantry units." Naruto gulped as soon as he heard Amir words. Naruto might not be the smartest boy alive but he had heard of the Infantry units some nations had. The Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on discipline, fitness, physical strength and aggression.

"So it's like that than?" Amir nodded, his smirk never leaving his face. Naruto stood passively behind Amir, thinking about what he said. "Then I don't care, I will do whatever you put in front of me, I will succeed and I will be an Immortal." Naruto said with as much determination as he always had. Amir's smirk grew and he looked back at Naruto.

"Then let's get started, but first we need to leave." Amir said as he walked into his bedroom.

"Leave?" Naruto asked. Amir came back into the living room a couple of minutes later with a bag full of his stuff. Naruto looked on confused as to why he would pack all that stuff.

"Yeah, leave Konoha. Like I said, to be an Immortal, there are certain qualifications you need to meet and we can't do that here. Now go home and pack; only bring the essentials. When you're done, meet me at the gates and we'll leave." Amir said as he walked out the door. Naruto followed after him.

"Wait, I have a question." Amir turned around and faced Naruto. "Can I take Miyu?"

"Sorry, I can't have you bring another person with us. She would only slow us down. Besides, bring a girl you like will only distract you." Amir answered before he walked away, leaving a blushing Naruto standing there.

"Miyu's not just some girl…" Naruto said before Amir interrupted him.

"That's what they all say!" Amir yelled. Naruto's blush grew and he growled. He picked up Miyu who was sleeping the whole time right outside Amir's back door and ran after Amir. He stopped when he was in front of him and held up Miyu to show Amir. "I'm guessing this Miyu." Naruto nodded his head. Amir sighed.

"Come on, she won't slow us down, I promise." Naruto pleaded and Miyu gave Amir a puppy dog pout. Amir shook his head in defeat.

"Fine, but she better not slow us down." Amir said as he continued his walk while Naruto yelled _"YES!"_ and ran home. He started packing his favorite orange jumpsuit and all the instant ramen he had. When he finished, he ran out and locked his door. He tried to run all the way to the gates but stopped to take a breather. When he realized where he stopped, he started jumping for joy. Then he ran into Ichiraku's Ramen shop. He ate fifteen bowls before he decided to head off. He waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame, the only two people he knew who didn't hate him, and told them he'd see them again someday.

When he reached the gates, he noticed that Amir was talking to the two Chunin at the front desk. When he walked up to them, the two Chunins glared at him while Amir started walking out of the village. Naruto followed Amir. When he was close enough, Naruto asked him when they would return.

"When the time is right." Amir said vaguely. Naruto asked him what that meant, but Amir wouldn't say. Naruto stayed quiet as they walked on, not knowing what to expect.

[*.*.Time Skip – 1 year.*.*]

A blond haired masked kid walked limply as he headed for Konoha. He had an average, black headband on his forehead and a black mask that covered everything under his eyes. He had a torn up black coat with the kanji for Immortal on the back. Blue flames embedded at the bottom which reached up to his ankles. He wore a blue long sleeve shirt and black ANBU pants and traditional ninja shoes. He also wore a yellow and silver arm guard on his right hand and blue fingerless gloves. But the things that made him different were the two swords tied to his pants by a brown belt; one on his left and one on his right. The pommel was yellow and the grip were wrapped in bandages. The swords guard was also yellow and the sheath was gray.

"Finally, I can go back home." The kid said. He was exhausted and wanted to go home. He had been training for a full year and it was finally time. Unfortunately, on his way home his master abruptly collapsed and the kid helped him go to the nearest hospital. Luckily, they passed a village not long ago. The doctor told the kid to wait outside while they examined his master. The doctor came back a couple minutes later to tell the kid his master would die from an incurable disease soon. The kid had broken down and cried for his master; though he didn't cry long, for he remembered his master's words.

_"To be an Immortal, you most not be weak. No matter the situation, you must be strong."_When the kid went to see his master in his last moments on Earth, He left the kid with words that will forever live on in the kid.

"Not matter what, don't ever leave a comrade behind. As part of the Immortal clan, I expect you to have integrity and character. Besides skill, perseverance and heart, that is what makes a warrior so great. Be proud of who you have become and bring some pride into the Immortal clan. Farewell… Naruto…"

A tear escaped Naruto's eye as he remembered his master's last words.

"I will… I will bring pride into the Immortal clan. Just you wait Amir." Naruto said. He kept walking until he reached the front gates of Konoha. "Finally I'm… Here…" Naruto said before collapsing from exhaustion. The two Chunin guards rushed to his side and called for some help. When medical ninja finally arrived, they lifted Naruto onto a stretcher and rushed him to the hospital.

* * *

**Well ,there you go... My New story and i think it came out great...**

**I drew some Illustrations for this story... Just go to my page and look for the link to it, well the URL to it...**** And I'd like to say yes, Naruto looks a bit older but just imagine the same clothes on a 6 year old Naruto... I forgot why exactly i was drawing him so I made him look 16-18...**

**Anyways, if you enjoyed it, tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what it's missing, what should be added and any other thing I may have forgotten...**

**Also, I'd like everyone to tell me in a review how you want the teams to be set up... Though I'd like you to remember the following:  
-My co-author, T-Biggz may not like all ideas... But I will try to do the majority vote thing and see what I can do...  
-This is a NaruHina story [Though they will be together way later... but there will be hints heh heh...], so no changing that...  
-As far as the other pairings; ehh.. I don't care and niether does my co-author so any pairings you want to read about, just ask...  
-All this is optional... You don't got to review... Just knowing you read it is pretty good... though sometimes i do wonder if you liked it or not..**

**Oh well, not much I can do about that...  
_[side note: If you like reading NaruHina stories, I got 3 more stories in my page... Just saying...]_**

**Next Chapter: Class is in session!**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	2. Class is in session!

**Here's chapter 2...**

**Pretty fast, no? Yes! =]...**

**Also, I'd like to dedicate this story to my uncle as well...  
He died a year ago and I miss him alot...  
I am dedicating all my stories to him just cause I love my uncle that much...**

**Anyways, enjoy the story...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

The sounds of long beeping could be heard in the background. The sounds of walking and murmurs could also be heard. Naruto was just confused, why was he hearing this? Where was he? Wasn't he just outside Konoha's walls? So why was he hearing this when he should have been outside. Naruto opened his eyes to see what was going on and he saw doctors walking around with clipboards. They each looked nervous and frantic. It worried Naruto, but only a little bit. He turned his head to look at the time. It read twenty before nine. And right next to the clock was his swords, lying against the wall.

"Uhm… Excuse me…" Naruto said attracting the attention of the other adults. "Where am I?" All the doctors came rushing at him and not only examining him but also the equipment. The looks on the doctor's face were priceless. They each looked like Naruto had died and then came back to life. He wanted to laugh but decided to take this seriously.

"Son, are you ok?" One doctor asked as he checked Naruto's forehead. Naruto tilted his head as he answered.

"What do you mean? I feel great, a little sore, but great." Naruto said as he smiled. Even as he wore the mask, it was tight enough so you could see movement under it.

"Do you know what just happened to you?" Naruto still didn't get where the doctor was going with this. He was just sleeping off the exhaustion right? Naruto shook his head, hoping that one of the doctors will explain it to him.

"Well you see, when we recovered you, you fell into a deep coma." One doctor started to explain.

"Then it started getting worse as the days passed until just a minute ago where you…" Another doctor started but couldn't finish, she didn't really want to think about it. Naruto looked at the doctor as if asking her to continue. Instead the first doctor spoke up.

"You died not long ago. The monitor read that you're heart stopped beating. We thought you were dead." The doctor finished explaining.

"Oh…" Naruto said as he looked out the window with a solemn expression. Then, out of nowhere, he started laughing. He laughed and laughed until he was red in the in the face and even then he didn't stop. Doctors and nurses alike looked on in disbelief that a boy who had just heard that he died not long ago was laughing about it.

Many were curious and wanted to ask why he was laughing, but suddenly, a gust of wind came into the room, causing all in the room to cover their eyes. When they put down their arms, they saw that Naruto and his stuff were gone. The wind blowing from the open window animated the curtain hanging over it. One doctor turned to a nurse nearby.

"Go to the Hokage and tell him the masked boy has escaped. He said he wanted to speak to the boy when he awoke and now we don't even have the boy." The doctor yelled and the nurse left in a hurry.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto was walking down the street that led away from the hospital. If there was something he didn't miss from Konoha, it was the hospital. Yes, because of his 'accidents' as so many villagers call it, the hospital was like his second home. But that didn't mean he liked the place. Half of the works didn't like him; they either ignored him or acted rather rude towards him. The other thing was the food. He always wondered why they never served ramen. It was a delicious meal and was pretty cheap. Some people can be so stupid sometimes.

Then he thought back on the doctor's face and what they told him. He laughed aloud, attracting many of the passing people's attention and looking at him weirdly, but he didn't care. He hit the nail right on the head with his guess that he died. He knew he shouldn't have laughed but it was too funny not to. As he kept walking, he wondered how exactly he came back to life after he died. He stopped walking and started concentrating. He suddenly appeared in a sewer like place. It was colorless except for all the dark yellow and shade. In front of him, he saw a cage similar to a jail cell and a piece of paper with the word seal imprinted on it. Then, two eyes appeared out of the abyss in the cage and a mouth came right after it. The eyes were a crimson red and held rage, hatred, pain and bloodlust. Something he had only seen in one other person.

_'Was that you're doing?'_ Naruto thought. A sinister like laugh echoed in Naruto's head. Naruto sighed; he hated how dramatic it got sometimes.

_**'Yes, that was me. I couldn't just let you die now could I?'**_Kyuubi said as he showed his fangs in his smile. Naruto has known of Kyuubi for more than half a year now. It happened one day during his training that he met Kyuubi. He sighed as he remembered exactly how he met him.

_**[Flashback…]**_

_**Naruto was walking alongside his master Amir as they headed for a river nearby. They started Naruto's training less than six months ago and he was starting to get used to it. Amir had Naruto work on his upper and lower strength at the beginning of the training; it wasn't until a month ago Amir thought it was good enough to take a break from it. So now, he was teaching Naruto how to meditate. Unfortunately, this was something Naruto didn't was to learn.**_

_**"I don't want to!" Naruto yelled. Amir's eyebrow twitched as a vein popped out of his head.**_

_**"Well too bad brat, if you want me to continue training you, you're going to have to meditate." Amir replied as calmly as he could. Naruto looked at Amir's face and saw that he was serious. He sighed in defeat as he sat cross-legged and meditated. He opened his eyes to see that he was in a hallway. The floor was flooded with water, but he didn't really want to know where it came from. He looked up at saw a lot more hallways, stretching out to who knows where. Naruto didn't know where he was but he did know where he was, it was vast and spacious. He didn't know why but he decided to walk around the hallways.**_

_**He walked for a while before he saw a red flash coming from a room to his left. He walked over to it and saw a huge jail like cage. The words 'seal' imprinted on a paper hanging on the cage. He walked closer to the cage and then a claw appeared out of the darkness and tried to strike him. Luckily for him, Amir trained on Naruto's reflexes and now he's as fast as jonin. Naruto looked into the darkness and saw nothing but the claw that almost mauled him. It retracted into the cage and two sinister eyes and a gigantic mouth appeared. Naruto flinched under its gaze but soon snapped out of it and looked at the creature straight in the eyes. The creature then chuckled, which echoed throughout the cavern.**_

_**"**__**So you dare look at me in the eye?"**__**asked the mighty creature. Inside, Naruto was shaking with fear, but his outer appearance remained passive.**_

_**"Yes I do. Now who are you? And where am I?" Naruto said coldly. If there was one thing he'll never forget was the way Amir talked to people that annoyed him. Naruto soon got into the habit of talking like that when he was annoyed or when he spoke to arrogant people. All that did though was make the mighty creature laugh.**_

_**"**__**Who am I? Who am I? I am the mighty Nine-tailed fox, but you, my lowly host, can call me Kyuubi. And, as far as where you are, you are in your mind.**__**" Kyuubi finished with a menacing smile. Naruto's eye's widened.**_

_**"Y-You mean you're**__**the**__**Kyuubi? The one who attacked the village five and a half years ago? I thought the Fourth Hokage finished you off." Naruto said. Kyuubi just scoffed.**_

_**"**__**Hn. The Fourth Hokage was a fool and a weakling. He couldn't defeat so he went with the next best thing; he sealed me inside a weak brat by the name of Naruto. By the fact that you're here, I have to guess that you're Naruto, right?**__**" Naruto nodded dumbly because that was all he could do as he was still shocked.**_

_**'The Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi away… in me?' This was the only thought going through Naruto's head. The Kyuubi slammed his front paw into the ground to get Naruto's attention. But because of the force Kyuubi used to get his attention, Naruto ended up falling on his butt.**_

_**"Hey! Watch what you're doing you fur ball!" Naruto yelled as he snapped out of his daze. Kyuubi chuckled, once again making the echoes go throughout the halls.**_

_**"**__**You got some guts talking to me like that brat.**__**" Kyuubi said while Naruto tried to calm himself down. Then he had a sudden thought.**_

_**"So this is the reason people hate me." Naruto concluded sadly. Kyuubi just stared at Naruto before he closed his eyes and let out a loud exhale.**_

_**"**__**Yes, I am the reason why you're despised in your own village. I have been able to whatever you've been able to see, don't ask it's complicated.**__**" Kyuubi said when he saw Naruto looking like he wanted to ask how. Naruto remained quiet as he let Kyuubi go on. "**__**As I was saying, I saw everything you saw, even everything that you heard. At first, I laughed every time something bad happened to you. Like that one time you thought the 'wind' pushed that can of red paint over and made you red. I actually saw some drunken man push it over from the corner of your eye. Though I got to say, it was hilarious that you couldn't get the paint off you for a week." Naruto stared angrily at Kyuubi as he saw the smile appear on his face.**_

_**"Get to the point; what are you trying to say?" Naruto asked. Kyuubi then got serious as he continued.**_

_**"**__**What I'm trying to say is…**__**" Kyuubi mumbled something that sounded like 'Call Harvey.' Naruto was confused by this.**_

_**"Sorry, I don't know any Harveys." Naruto said innocently. Kyuubi loudly exhaled before he spoke louder.**_

_**"I said I'm sorry, not call Harvey. What the hell kind of name is that." Naruto laughed a little at his words. When he composed himself, he faced Kyuubi and walked closer to him.**_

_**"What are you sorry for?"**_

_**"I didn't mean to cause you harm - well, at least, not now." Naruto looked at Kyuubi, a puzzled expression planted on his face.**_

_**"So why did you attack the village?" Naruto asked curiously.**_

_**"**__**Well that's just it, I don't know. I just happened to have walked near Konoha when suddenly; a man appeared in front of me. He was an odd man and a crazy one too to have just appeared in front of me. And he had the audacity to look at me straight in the eye. After that, it was a blur. When I awoke, I was already in this cage. I'm positive that the man was responsible for my attack on your village. If I could, I'd go find this man and rip him apart.**__**" Naruto just stood passively in front of the cage bars, contemplating Kyuubi's words.**_

_**"I want to help you. I want to help you find this man and get back at him." Naruto said which somewhat interested Kyuubi. He knew if a man can do that to him, Naruto wouldn't stand a chance against the man. "But first, I want you to train me." Now Naruto grabbed Kyuubi's interest.**_

_**"**__**And what kind of help am I to you?**__**" Kyuubi asked.**_

_**"As far as I know, you have an unprecedented amount of chakra, right?" Kyuubi sighed.**_

_**"**__**I know where you're going with this and I can't do it.**__**" Kyuubi said.**_

_**"Why not? Look, with you chakra and intelligence, you'll be able to teach me all about ninjutsu and genjutsu. I'm already doing taijutsu with Amir; all I'm missing is those two. And besides, the faster I become stronger, the faster I'll be able to stop that guy who made you attack the village. What do you say?" Naruto inquired. Kyuubi wondered if he affected Naruto too much because he was able to say all that in one breath.**_

_**"**__**I don't know, what I know is dangerous for a mortal to know. How do I know you won't be killed just by trying to do it, brat?**__**" Naruto smirk matched that of a cunning fox.**_

_**"Because soon enough, I will be part of the immortal clan, the toughest clan to have existed. I will not die from what you have to teach me." Kyuubi smirked at Naruto's confidence and pride.**_

_**'**__**He's an interesting one, I'll give him that.**__**'**_

_**"**__**Alright fine, I suppose it wouldn't hurt me. You though, that's a different story.**__**"**_

_**"I don't care, so when do we start?" Naruto asked excitedly. He felt so happy that now he'll be able to get even stronger.**_

_**"**__**As soon as you head back to Konoha**__**." Naruto face-fell at Kyuubi's answer.**_

_**"Why wait until then?" Naruto asked angrily.**_

_**"**__**For one thing, I'm sure your little mind won't be able to handle the train I got in mind plus the one that other guy's got. Now go away, I'm tired and I need my sleep.**__**" That was the last thing he said before he kicked Naruto out of his mind.**_

_**[Flashback End…]**_

_'Now that I remember, weren't you supposed to train me as soon as we got home?'_Naruto asked Kyuubi.

_**'Yeah yeah, I remember, but how about first giving me a break. Healing you up takes a lot of chakra and besides, I don't feel like doing anything right now.**__'_ Kyuubi replied. Naruto sweat dropped and started to mentally complain about how lazy Kyuubi was and how unfair he was being. He then felt something running straight at him. He turned around just fast enough to see a familiar orange blur running straight at him. He caught the blur and looked at it. Miyu was in his hands with a happy expression on her face.

Surprisingly enough, she stayed the same size she was last year. Naruto would've guessed she would at least be an inch or two taller, but no.

"Hey there Miyu, where you been? Actually, don't answer that. Come on, I'm hungry and I want some ramen." Miyu yipped happily before following after her master and partner. Over the last year, Naruto and Miyu have been working together to create a fighting style which included having them both fighting simultaneously. Unfortunately, they still haven't figured out how to do that.

When they reached Ichiraku's, Naruto walked in with a girl around his age with long black hair. She had dark red eyes and wore a red kimono with a black obi. Her kimono covered her feet but by the sounds of it, she was barefoot.

"What would you like to eat Naruto? Oh? And who is this?" Teuchi asked wiggling his eyebrow.

_'This is going to be fun._' He thought. Naruto smiled under his mask as he spoke.

"Give me a pork ramen and Miyu here wants a chicken." Naruto ordered.

"Who is this, your girlfriend?" Ayame asked as she came out of the kitchen. Naruto blushed a little but thanks to his mask, no one saw it.

"Something like that." He answered. Then Miyu licked Naruto in the cheek, causing his blush to deepen enough that Teuchi and Ayame could see it.

"Aw, he's blushing." Ayame said after she squealed when she saw the interaction between Naruto and Miyu. Naruto just looked down and Miyu just had a small smile on her face.

"Can I just get me food to go please?" Naruto asked nervously. Teuchi nodded his head as Ayame continued to make fun of Naruto by making kissing-faces. Luckily, she didn't do it for long because her father called her into the kitchen. Naruto did a quick sigh before turning to Miyu. "Come on! What was that?"

Miyu just shrugged, something about that told Naruto that she just felt like it. He sweat dropped but composed himself as he saw Teuchi return with his and Miyu's ramen.

"Here you are. One chicken and pork enjoy!" Teuchi yelled. Naruto smirked as he got both ramens. After he paid for it, he made a hand sign and Teuchi and Ayame heard Naruto yell 'Release!' A sudden 'POOF' got their attention and after the smoke cleared, they saw a small fox, no bigger than a shoe sit where Miyu once stood. Teuchi's eyes widened and his mouth dropped as Ayame just reached down and started petting the fox.

"Aww! She's soooo cute!" Ayame squealed while she got Miyu in a death grip. Miyu was struggling to get free but every attempt made was pointless, she wasn't going anywhere for some time now. She looked to Naruto for assistance but all she saw was Naruto laughing on the ground. When Naruto had enough, he stood up and grabbed Miyu from Ayame's death grip. He then put her on top of his head since she seems to like it up there. He still had tears coming out of his eyes from all that laughing. By the time they left the ramen shop, the sun was already going down.

_'Hey, Kyuubi. Suns going down, can we train now? I let you rest for what, an hour or two now."_ Naruto asked Kyuubi, waking him up from his sleep.

_**'Kit, you have a bad sense of time, you know that?'**_Naruto shook his head._**'Well, you do because**_**it's only been twenty five minutes.'**Naruto heard Kyuubi sigh.** 'I guess I might as well seeing as you probably won't let me go back to sleep.'**Naruto jumped for joy as he headed for Amir's home. During his training, Amir told Naruto that if he ever needed to train, he could always head for his house.

As he entered the clearing behind the park, he saw his late master's home. He stared passively at it, the memories passing by him by the second. He shook his head as he walked closer to the cabin. He walked to the backyard and saw the swords from the first day he met Amir. The six swords were still there, though only the four swords he and Amir used were still in great shape. The two they didn't used were rusty and had some kind of moss growing on it.

Naruto picked up the four swords and went inside Amir's house. He went into the room he guessed was Amir's room and laid the swords against the walls. He returned outside and sat down in front of the two remaining swords. Miyu jumped off his head and ran deeper into the woods. He crossed his legs and started meditating. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar cage with the familiar fox inside, sleeping.

"Hey Fox WAKE UP!" Naruto yelled to wake the sleeping demon fox. He opened up one eye and groaned as he sat up.

**"Damn and I was having such a quiet dream."**Naruto's vein popped out, he was starting to lose his patience with Kyuubi. Kyuubi then moved closer to the cage and looked at Naruto. **"So, what is it you want to learn now? I already taught you how to use a simple genjutsu and the basics to chakra. Now what?"** Kyuubi asked lazily. He rather be asleep than do this, but he knew Naruto wouldn't let him do that. **'The brat's too loud to let me have a moment of peace and quiet.'** He thought.

"An actual jutsu. I'm already old enough to enter the academy and I want to be ahead of everyone. I want to be recognized as the smartest and most powerful one in my class." Naruto said with a lot of determination.

**"Sorry, that's not going to happen."**

"What? Why not?" Naruto asked, confused by Kyuubi's words.

**"Because you're not smart, period."** Kyuubi answered, causing Naruto to do a face vault. He got up and started yelling at the fox.

"Don't get smart with me and just teach me something!"

**"You don't have to yell!"**Kyuubi screamed back. **"Fine, I'll teach you something that won't kill you and easy to learn. You remember what I told you about chakra and how you can use it to do jutsu's?"** Naruto nodded his head. He hated the lectures he had to endure when he learned about chakra. He kept falling asleep when Kyuubi tried to explain it but he eventually got it down.

"Yes, I even remember word for word what you said: To perform a jutsu, a ninja will need to bring out and release their chakra. By forming hand seals, a ninja is able manifest the desired jutsu. Because of the extensive number of hand seals and different combinations, there are thousands of potential jutsu to be discovered.

"Based on which jutsu the ninja uses, the type and amount of chakra will be different as would the elements you would be to employ..." Kyuubi nodded his head.

**"Very impressive, kit..."** Kyuubi started to say but was interrupted by Naruto.

"The five main elemental styles are also the five names for the Five Great Shinobi Countries: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth and Water. Naruto, stop messing around with that snail, and stick your finger out of your nose..."

**"OK I get it, you listen. Now shut up and listen to me."** Kyuubi ordered, silencing Naruto. **"Now, what I'm about to teach you is something I don't want you to use unless necessary. This is called 'fox fire'. It's a technique taught to the younger generation of foxes before they go into the harder stuff. Usually, the fire with automatically burn anything and everything it touches, including the one who summoned it. But thanks to me, you won't burn up... hopefully."**Kyuubi said, saying the last part lowly. But Naruto heard it, making him gulp.

"OK, so how's it work?" Naruto asked nervously. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to go through with this if there was chance of getting himself killed.

**"OK, well you know how we both have different chakras? Well, it's simple really and it'll help with your chakra control. I want you to concentrate your chakra to your hand and then use you my chakra to quickly apply it to the chakra in your hand."**Naruto tilted his head.

"Apply it?"

**"Yes, just imagine this like lighting a match. My chakra is the match, when you quickly apply it to or 'rub it against' the chakra in your hands, it'll create a 'friction', so to speak, and turn the chakra in your hands into fox fire. Now get out and practice."** Naruto nodded his head in understanding and disappeared. He opened his eyes again and saw that he was back in the real world. He looked up and noticed that the sun was gone. He figured it was probably from nine to ten in the night.

Naruto stood up and started stretching. After he finished, he started concentrating his chakra to his hand. When he felt like it was good enough, he looked for Kyuubi's chakra. He got it and then quickly applied it to the chakra in his hand. Suddenly, he saw a small green fire appear in the center of his hand. It was no bigger than a dime but to Naruto, it was good enough.

He spent most of the night practicing this move. Each time, he applied a little more of the fox's chakra until he collapsed. Miyu appeared into the clearing a minute after Naruto collapsed and moved closer to him. She then sat on top of his chest and fell asleep as well.

[*.*.Time Skip.*.*]

It's been a week and a half and Naruto has been working hard on the fox fire technique. The flame keeps growing but nothing big enough to impress Kyuubi. That didn't stop him though, every day he would keep practicing and practicing. But today, he would have to skip out on the training because today was the day he attended the academy.

Somehow he managed to convince the Hokage to find a way to let him get in. It took three days for the Third Hokage to convince the council to let Naruto in the academy. How he did it, Naruto didn't care, as long as he attended, that's all that matter.

Now, Naruto was walking to school. He wore the same black mask, blue long sleeve shirt, black ANBU like pants, shoes and gloves that he wore every day. He decided to take off the headband he usually wore, and left his swords and long coat at home; his new home. He moved into Amir's house a day after he left the hospital. He took the guestroom right down the hall from Amir's old room.

Now, he felt helpless without his swords, but he knew he'd probably have them taken up if he took those to school. He soon saw the school in the horizon and the other kids with their parents dropping them off. He tried to ignore the feeling he had in his stomach as he walked past the many adults and their children. He saw many of their glares, all were directed to him. Apparently, even with the mask people still recognized him.

But not all glared at him. There was one adult who smiled at him. She had black hair and black eyes. She was at least five foot five from what he could tell. Her son, who also had black hair and eyes, also gave Naruto a small smile. Naruto stopped for a moment before walking to the only pair who didn't seem to hate him.

"Good morning ma'am!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically. The woman just smiled at Naruto while the little boy sort of flinched at Naruto's yell.

"Good morning young man." The woman replied.

"Hey, are you going to go to school here?" Naruto asked the boy. The boy nodded and Naruto smiled. "We'll, see ya inside. Have a nice day ma'am." Naruto said as he entered the academy. The woman waved and then turned to her son.

"Looks like you already have a friend Sasuke." The woman said. Sasuke nodded again.

"Yes mother, it seems like it."

Naruto walked through the hallways, looking for his class. Every class door had a list on it with the names of the students studying in that class. He kept looking for his name and then he bumped into someone, causing him to fall on his butt. He looked up and saw a boy a year older looking at him with disgust. It was weird; he had no pupils and had long brown hair. He also wore a brown headband over his forehead.

"Hn. You should watch where you're walking. If you're not careful someone could get hurt." The older kid said as he walked passed Naruto. Naruto immediately shot up and went after the kid. When he found him, he forcefully turned him around. But he didn't expect the kid to turn quickly and hit him in the chest with an open palm. Naruto once again fell on his behind.

"What the hell man?" Naruto yelled at the kid. The kid just turned around and started walking away. After a couple steps, he stopped and turned his head slightly at Naruto's direction.

"I warned you already that if you're not careful, someone could get hurt. Next time, I won't hold back." And he started walking away. Naruto would've gone after him but he heard a bell go off. It took him a second to realize that it was a warning bell, meaning he only had two minutes to find his class. He got up quickly and started looking for his class.

A minute and thirty-five seconds later, he still couldn't find his class. Luckily, there were only three classes left to check. He looked to the left and read the list for his name. _'No... No... No... That's not me... nope... heh-heh, that's a funny name but no... Nuh uh... damn!'_ He went to the list on the right and repeated the process. Still nothing, that only left the classroom and the end of the hall. He let out a sigh of relief as he walked to the door. As soon as his hand touched the doorknob, the late bell went off. He sweat dropped at his luck and opened the door.

He saw the teacher was standing in front of the class. He had his hair up in a knot and had a scar; it went from one cheek, over his nose and ended at the other cheek. Naruto looked at his left and saw eight desks, four on the left side of the room and four on the right side. It appeared to him that each desk held three to four students.

"Ah, so you must be... Naruto Uzumaki. Come on in and take a seat." The teacher instructed. Naruto nodded and went to the only open seat, which was in between a girl with dark blue hair and a kid who was watching the clouds outside the window. When he sat down, he noticed the girl didn't have any pupils, just like the older kid who attacked him.

_'What's up with the no pupil thing? Are they sick or something?'_ Naruto thought.

_**'No, it's a doujutsu. By the way you described their eyes, they're from the Hyuga clan. Interesting, it seems you have a Hyuga as a classmate. We'll see how great the Hyuga clan really is.'**_ Naruto heard Kyuubi say. He got it right away. He once heard adults talking about how some one tried to steal one of their members. For what, Naruto didn't know. All he knows is that that isn't right. He put both elbows on the desk and then laid his head on his hands. He turned his head to get a better look at the girl next to him

He caught his teacher giving out his name, Iruka Imino. He started talking about something, but Naruto just ignored it. He just kept looking at the girl next to him, trying to connect her with the kid he ran into earlier. She caught him watching her and blushed, though she didn't let him know she saw him. Instead, she just spoke quietly and started playing with her fingers.

"Uhm... I-Is there something I-I can h-help you w-with?" she asked quietly, almost too quiet for Naruto to hear, but he heard it.

"Oh no, nothing really, but uh... do you know another boy that has no pupils." She gasped and looked at him, but then looked back down at her hands.

"Y-Yes. H-He's my c-cousin." She replied. Naruto raised his head and turned his whole body to face the girl.

"Your cousin, really? Is he always a jerk or was today just an off day for him?"

"I-I wouldn't say j-jerk, b-but he isn't always n-nice." She answered.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. What's yours?" Naruto asked with a smile and held his hand out to shake her hand.

The girl hesitantly took his hand and shook it.

"H-Hinata, Hinata Hyuga." She replied with a smile of her own.

"Nice to meet you!" Naruto said loudly, attracting the attention of his other classmates and Iruka. A vein popped out of Iruka's head and he threw a piece of chalk at Naruto. Naruto instinctively picked up the pencil that was on his desk and blocked the chalk, surprising everyone, even Iruka.

"Oh, sorry Iruka-sensei, you were saying?" Naruto asked innocently. Iruka got over the shock and composed himself. He continued talking about what they were going to work on while attending the academy. Naruto tuned him out and let his head rest on his hands; he didn't think school would be this boring.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto had never been as happy as he was after school. All they did was sit down and listen as Iruka talked on and on about the basics of chakra.

"I already know what that is! Augh, why does he keep talking and talking and talking. I'm sure everyone didn't listen to everything he said." Naruto thought aloud.

"Wrong, I heard everything Iruka-sensei had to say and it'll be every useful when we become actual ninjas." Naruto turned to the direction he heard the voice. He saw a pick haired girl with a red ribbon on her head. She looked somewhat smug about what she said which Naruto didn't really understand why.

"Really? That's cool of you but I didn't listen to a word after 'My name's Iruka Imino'." Naruto replied lazily. This got the pink haired girl angry and she threw a fist at Naruto's head. He dodged it, which caused her to miss and trip on her own feet. Lucky for her, she got her balance before she hit the floor. She turned around and threw another fist at Naruto. He ducked her fist, noticing how sloppy her taijutsu was. This happened repeatedly until she got tired. Naruto just stood in front of her as she tried to regain her breath.

"Well, I'd like to say that was fun but it wasn't." He started walking away and waved good bye to the girl. "Maybe next time you'll hit me. See ya later." The girl tried to yell at Naruto but she was too tired to grunt, let alone yell.

Naruto was glad he didn't have to hurt the girl. She might have been mean but that didn't mean he had to hurt her. He put his arms behind his head as he walked home to train. He ran into Ichiraku's and decided to get some ramen.

"Hey Ayame, old man Teuchi!" Naruto greeted. Teuchi waved and Ayame came into the room with Miyu in another death grip. Naruto sweat dropped and laughed nervously. "Heh-heh, thanks for taking care of Miyu for me Ayame."

"No problem Naruto. She's welcomed back anytime." She said. Naruto pried Miyu from Ayame and put her on the floor next to his seat. Miyu started breathing deeply and fell on her side, motionless.

"Drama queen." Naruto said quietly. Miyu got up and barked at Naruto. "OK, OK, sorry."

Naruto ate sixteen bowls of ramen before deciding to head home. It was seven in the afternoon so Naruto decided to rest a bit before training. He sat down on the couch in his leaving room and watched some TV. He didn't get why people would enter in some contest on TV and embarrass themselves on live TV. He continued watching TV for another hour or so before he fell asleep with Miyu lying next to him.

Naruto felt something licking his face and soon woke up. He saw Miyu on top of him and then jump off to walk to the door. Naruto sat up and saw that she wanted to go outside. He looked at the time and saw that it was ten pass nine. He yawned, stretched and went to open the door. He saw Miyu sprint out the door and into the woods.

"Well, I might as well train now." He said as he turned off the TV and left the house. "OK, concentrate." Chakra started to gather in his right hand. When he felt he had enough, he added Kyuubi's chakra and suddenly, green light lit up the clearing. In his hands, Naruto had a decent sized fox fire.

_**"Pretty good kit. Nice job."**_ Kyuubi said, making Naruto do a stupid looking dance. _**"Now put it out and try it again."**_ This caused Naruto to stop his dancing and made him face vault.

"Why? I did it didn't I?" He questioned.

_**"Yes you did, but I want to see if you can do it more than one time. You know, to make sure it's not a fluke."**_ Kyuubi explained.

"Fine!" Naruto put out the fire in his hand and reapplied chakra to his hand. When he felt that it was ready he applied Kyuubi's chakra again, this time, it seemed to be bigger than last time. "Yes, I can do it!" Naruto yelled. He put it out and tried it again and again. It didn't grow any bigger but it did stay the same size. Naruto didn't care, he was just glad he could do it. All that training paid off. Naruto decided to take a walk to a small river in a clearing on the other side of the village to cool him off. He set two fingers into his mouth and whistled. A minute later, Miyu came dashing into the clearing and jumped on Naruto's shoulder.

"Come on Miyu, we're going to the river you like so much." He said to Miyu, making her yelp in excitement.

[*.*.*.*]

"Come on, let's go now. It's midnight, they're probably all asleep." A man said as he hid in the shadows with his comrade. They both hid in a tree across the street of a huge mansion.

"I'm not sure, I feel like we shouldn't do this. I mean, it didn't work three years ago, what makes you think it'll work this time?" Another man said. The first man slapped the back of the head of the second man.

"Because they won't be expecting a second attempt. Now are you with me on this or are you just going to complain?" The first man asked. The second man sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine, whatever, let's just do this already." Both men nodded to each other and then jumped off the tree. Both determined to get this over with as they headed for the Hyuga mansion.

* * *

**Uh oh, what are they planning...**

**Not sure but you might want to read to find out...**

**I'll update as soon as i can, promise...**

**Also, don't forget to tell me what you thought about the story and how you want the teams arranged...**

**Next Chapter: The Kidnapping...  
**

**Good luck with whatever...**


	3. The kidnapping

**Ok, here's chapter 3! Yeah, come on, be happier isn't this what the one's who actually like my story want? So be happier, Yeah, new chapter!**

**So anyways, I got some bad news, I might not update as fast as I normally do... I know it sux but I got a project to finish and I didn't even start it... Even worse, i don't even got what i need and it's all due in two weeks.. Two weeks! I know it sounds like a lot of time but when you gotta read four books in two weeks, it's not as long as you might think... I'm sorry about the inconvinience but if you're going to blame someone... blame my school for giving summer assignments.**

**Also, I set up a poll in my profile concerning the team set up so you might want to see that if you care about it.. here are you're choices:**

**-Shikamaru Ino Choji, Naruto Hinata Sasuke, and Sakura Kiba Shino...  
-Shikamaru Ino Choji, Naruto Hinata Shino, and Sakura Kiba Sasuke...  
-Normal Team 7, 8 and 10...  
-Other...**

**If the poll doesn't appear in my profile, just send a review of how you want the teams set up...  
**

**With that said, enjoy Chapter three: The kidnapping...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto and neither do you readers so neh Xb...**

* * *

_Last time on__Naruto of the Immortal Clan__..._

_"Come on, let's go now. It's midnight, they're probably all asleep." A man said as he hid in the shadows with his comrade. They both hid in a tree across the street of a huge mansion._

_"I'm not sure, I feel like we shouldn't do this. I mean, it didn't work three years ago, what makes you think it'll work this time?" Another man said. The first man slapped the back of the head of the second man._

_"Because they won't be expecting a second attempt. Now are you with me on this or are you just going to complain?" The first man asked. The second man sighed and nodded his head._

_"Fine, whatever, let's just do this already." Both men nodded to each other and then jumped off the tree. Both determined to get this over with as they headed for the Hyuga mansion._

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata was lying in her bed, trying to go to sleep. She tried many ways to fall asleep but she just couldn't. Her mind would wander to Naruto, the kid she just met. She wondered why he kept popping into her thoughts but thought it was nothing. She also wondered how he knew her cousin. He had just randomly asked her if she knew another boy without pupils. She would have to find out, if she ever had the confidence to speak to someone. She sighed as she thought of how disappointed her father would sometimes get when she didn't do as well as he had hoped. She was just thankful her mother was around, she always made Hinata feel better.

Hinata sat up, she thought she heard something outside her window but nothing was there. She got off her bed and then looked out her window, still nothing. She shrugged it off as nothing and went to her bed. She was suddenly tired and looked up at her ceiling. Her last thought before sleeping was the strange masked boy.

"You idiot, she heard you!" A man quietly yelled at his partner.

"It's not my fault, it's too dark to see every little leaf, stick and rock." The second man retorted. The first man sighed as he continued making his way to Hinata's room. The first man turned to the second man.

"Place the silence jutsu over this room so we don't have problems with the girl." The second man nodded and started doing hand seals. After that, he touched the window to Hinata's room and a barrier appeared then disappeared. The second man nodded and the first man opened the window and went inside. He grabbed Hinata and stuffed her in a cloth bag. She woke up and immediately started panicking. She struggled in the man's grasp but the man ignored it as he jumped out the window, then he knocked Hinata out. He didn't want her to make any noise while they escaped.

"I got the girl; let's go before we're caught." The first man said and started running for the village gate with the second man behind him. They ran through the woods as they headed for the gates, they didn't want to walk into other people and get caught. As they ran they noticed how a lot of stores were still open. One particularly caught the eye of the second man.

"Don't even think about it you pervert. We deliver the girl first, after that I don't care what you do." The first man commanded. When they reached the gate, they saw two Chunin asleep. They scoffed at their incompetence and rushed past them. The second man smiled widely knowing they were home free and had the Hyuga bloodline. The first man also couldn't hide his smirk; they had done something the previous cloud ninja couldn't pull off. As soon as they stepped into Kumogakure, they would be seen as heroes. They couldn't wait to get home.

After running for a minute, the first man stopped near a river to rest. He put Hinata next to him as he sat at the edge of the river.

"Why'd you stop?" The second man asked. The first man was trying to regain his breath before he answered.

"I'm not as young as you are and besides I haven't been out on a mission in a while and I'm still getting used to the physical labor I have to use for this. It's not every day I go out to kidnap someone." The second man rolled his eyes and sat down on a log while he waited for his partner to rest. The first guy splashed some water in his face and felt a little better but still wanted to rest.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto and Miyu walked into the clearing with the river and sat near the edge. Naruto took off his shoes and soaked his feet into the river. Miyu crouched down and started drinking some water.

"Ahh, this is the life, isn't Miyu?" Miyu stopped drinking for a second to yip in agreement. "I don't know what the means but this water feels great." Naruto laid back and looked up at the sky. He enjoyed watching the stars at night. It was like a sort of hobby he grew into after always collapsing from training, and waking up to see stars in the sky. Then the moon caught his eye. He looked at the moon closely and it reminded him of something. It was something that he couldn't remember and it was annoying him. He didn't understand why he couldn't remember what it reminded him of.

Naruto then hears splashing and sits up. He sees Miyu drowning while the current takes her downstream. Naruto instantly gets up and runs after her. Miyu is barely able to stay afloat and Naruto was running out of ideas so he goes with his instinct and jumps in after her. He quickly gets her and holds on. After he resurfaces, he holds Miyu up high so she wouldn't get wet. As he kept going down stream, he looks for something to grab on to. He saw a rock in the middle of the stream and swam to it. He held on as the river's current suddenly became stronger.

Naruto knew to get out he had to use both hands so he put Miyu on his head and got on top of the rock. He balanced himself and quickly jumped off the rock and onto land. He fell on the floor and started laughing quietly.

"I made it." He said and checked on Miyu. She was alright, she just was asleep. Naruto made sure all the water left her body. Luckily for him, Amir thought him a way to resurrect someone besides CPR. He heard leaves rustling and grabbed Miyu as he went into the bushes to hide.

He saw two men appear, both wearing black clothing. One of them had a bag with feet coming out, which immediately got his attention. The man with the bag over his shoulder looked around forty to forty-five and his partner looked like he was twenty.

'_Black clothing, person in a bag, all in the middle of the night… Yup, it's a kidnapping.'_ Naruto thought. Then he heard them start talking.

"Why'd you stop?" the second man asked

"I'm not as young as you are and besides I haven't been out on a mission in a while and I'm still getting used to the physical labor I have to use for this. It's not every day I go out to kidnap someone." Naruto sweat dropped at the man's answer.

'_Of course.'_ Naruto thought before thinking of a plan to save whoever was in the bag. He tried to think of something but nothing came to mind.

'_**Want some help, kit?'**_ Kyuubi said in Naruto's mind.

'_How can you help?'_

'_**I can temporarily take over your body and get rid of these men.'**_ Kyuubi answered.

'_No thanks, I'll do this my way.'_

'_**What way? You don't even have a plan yet.'**_

'_I'll think of something…'_ Naruto went back to think of a plan. He then assessed the situation. _'Let's see, two mysterious men have a child in a bag. They are ninja and look to be above Chunin. I am a six year old boy who was trained in the ways of the Immortals and swordsmanship but left my swords at home. I have three kunai and seven shuriken. I know a couple of genjutsu's, how to use fox fire and a sleeping fox. Now what does that mean?'_Naruto let his head hang down. _'That means I'm screwed…'_ Suddenly he thought of a plan, he smirked mischievously at the thought of his plan.

"Hey Miyu, wake up." Naruto said quietly as he lightly shoved Miyu. She woke up and quickly stood up. She was about to bark but Naruto quickly covered her mouth and placed a finger over his mouth. "Shh, relax. Now, there's something I want you to do." Naruto whispered something into Miyu's ear. Miyu looked doubtful but Naruto told her that as soon as it looked bad, to run to Konoha and alert the guards. She nodded and Naruto smirked. "Now to put 'Operation: save the damsel' is a go." Naruto said.

[*.*.*.*]

The first man sighed as he lay back on a log while the second man's foot was fidgeting. He was getting tired of waiting for his partner to rest and was starting to lose his patience.

"Are you good enough to go now?" The second man asked the first. The first man just shook his head.

"Be patient, it's still the middle of the night and we covered our tracks. There's nothing to worry or panic about." he said calmly. The second man was about to say something else but suddenly, a bush across from them started moving. Both men stood and gripped their kunai. "Get out now, we know you're there."

Before they could throw their kunai, a voluptuous woman appeared. She had black hair that reached the small of her back, red eyes that could mesmerize any man and a red kimono. Her kimono was tattered and barely keeping her assets covered. She fluttered her eyelashes repeatedly at the men in front of her. Both men dropped their kunai and drooled over the 'goddess' who stood in front of them. The woman blushed and took a step back. Both men took two steps forward and slowly walked a little closer. The 'goddess' started walking backwards in a seductive way, moving deeper into the woods.

Their desire of being with the 'goddess' got the better of them and they charged right after her. Naruto jumped out of the bushes the 'goddess' appeared from with Miyu on his head.

"Heh-heh perverts." Naruto said before opening the bag to see who it was inside. He was surprised to see that it was Hinata in the bag, though he couldn't remember her name.

"She's that girl in my class… damn, what was her name? It's on the tip of my tongue… Oh yeah, Hinata." he started to shake, hoping to wake the sleeping girl.

Hinata woke up to see a blond haired masked boy over her. It took her awhile to register who he was, where she was and what was happening. She sat up quickly and blushed.

"Naruto, what are you doing in my room?" She asked timidly. Naruto tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Your room? Hinata, look around; we're outside." her eyes widened as she looked around and saw that he was right. "You were being kidnapped but don't worry… Naruto Uzumaki of the Immortal clan is here to save you." Naruto said proudly as he pointed his thumb to himself. Hinata looked at Naruto and saw him in a different light than she had earlier. She blushed and then noticed how close they were. It was right there and then when she started something that won't be undone until she grew way older; she fainted in Naruto's presence.

Naruto panicked when he saw Hinata's eyes closing. He noticed her face grow red and was about to ask her if she was sick but then she fainted. Now Naruto was convinced that she was sick, why else would she faint?

Naruto stood up and put Hinata on his back and started walking to Konoha.

The two men ran and ran after the 'goddess' but every time they took a step closer, she seemed to be getting farther. The first man seemed wary of this and stopped.

"Wait up Haro, don't you think this is suspicious?" the first man said. Haro stopped and went back to his partner.

"Not really, I mean, come on look at her, she's hot and all alone out here in the wilderness. She probably doesn't even remember what it feels like to be with man." Haro said mischievously. "Now come on Jiro, she's getting away." Jiro threw a kunai at the woman and it passed right through her. Haro stopped in his tracks and watched as the 'goddess' continued to tease them as if the kunai never passed by her.

"Release!" Haro said and the 'goddess' waved good-bye before disappearing. "Damn it! We've been tricked." Jiro's eyes widened.

"That means they knew about the kidnapping. Damn it!" He then ran back to where they last left Hinata. Haro followed right behind him. When they arrived, they saw that Hinata was gone. "Damn it to hell!" Jiro said.

"Come on, they couldn't have gone far." Haro said and ran back in the direction leading to Konoha. Jiro followed after, swearing silently at how gullible they were. They kept running until suddenly, a dark blue blur swiftly punched Haro in the chin. He flew back and landed a couple of feet away. Jiro dodged an orange blur that was headed his way but he still got a cut traveling from his elbow to his shoulder. He looked up and saw a masked kid with a blue shirt and black pants with a small orange fox with a kunai in his mouth.

Haro stood up and started rotating his jaw.

"Ahh, that was a hard right hook you got there kid, but it's not enough to knock me out." Haro said with a smile on his face. Naruto took out two kunai and spun them in his finger tips. "Oh and you think you're a ninja too, how cute." He said sarcastically. He took out a kunai and threw it at Naruto. Naruto spun around to deflect the kunai and then threw his kunai at both men. Haro and Jiro lazily blocked it but were amazed at the Naruto's speed, strength and accuracy.

Naruto looked down at Miyu and nodded his head. Miyu got the message and disappeared.

"So where did you send the little thing?" Jiro asked.

"Not where you're going." Naruto said coldly as he picked up a tree branch lying next to him and ran at the men. Haro laughed and Jiro just smiled arrogantly. Naruto smiled with them as he suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Haro and hit him in the back of the head with the branch. Jiro wasn't expecting this and jumped back as Haro flew through the air and landed with a sickening thud. He lay there motionless, which got Jiro thinking he was dead.

"How dare you kill my partner?" Jiro said angrily. Naruto just stared passively at Haro. This wasn't the first time he killed someone, but even though Amir spent a week assuring Naruto that it was necessary as a warrior and ninja, he still didn't feel any better about it.

"He shouldn't have kidnapped Hinata. I give my condolences to his family and friends but in the world of a warrior and ninja alike, this sort of thing happens a lot." Naruto said solemnly. Jiro was surprised by Naruto's wisdom but shrugged it off and charged him, kunai in hand. Naruto just looked up lazily and swung the branch. It knocked the kunai in Jiro's hand and then he punched Jiro in the gut. Jiro doubled over in pain and got to take a good look at Naruto.

He noted that his blond hair got wilder; he suddenly had fangs and claws and he let out a sort of killer intent. But the thing caught Jiro's attention the most was his eyes, his red eyes. Naruto's red eyes held so much hatred, pain, remorse and understanding all at the same time.

While Jiro was still feeling Naruto's punch to the gut, Naruto focused his chakra into his right hand. He rapidly opened his eyes and green fire appeared in his hand. He then did the same thing with his left hand, except this time, he applied more of his chakra than usual and then kyuubi's. As soon as he saw the flame, he threw it into the air. A second later it exploded like a firework, lighting up some of the night sky and its sound echoing through the woods.

Jiro tilted his head to get a better look at Naruto. He quickly grabbed him from the collar and punched him in the face. Naruto looked back at Jiro like nothing happened. This got Jiro angry so he repeatedly punched Naruto in the face. Naruto then stopped his fist with his left hand and lightly touched Jiro in the chest with his right hand, fox fire still lit.

Jiro swiftly let Naruto go and tried to put out the fire on his shirt. He was failing miserably and Naruto just watched, his red eyes never leaving Jiro. When he grew bored of it, Naruto held his left hand out and red chakra appeared. By now, the fire on Jiro had reached his whole body and it was mysteriously being sucked up by the red chakra around Naruto's hand. Naruto retracted his hand and watched as he smuggled the fire until it was gone.

Naruto looked back at Jiro.

"What are you?" Jiro said fearfully.

"You're about to lose your consciousness so listen well because I will not repeat myself. I am Naruto Uzumaki of the Immortal clan who resides in the Village Hidden in the leaves, remember that." Naruto replied gravely. Jiro fell back and left the world of consciousness, just like Naruto had said. He walked over to where he hid Hinata and picked her up but he soon grew tired and fell back. His back hit a tree and almost dropped Hinata but found his grip and held on. He slid down the tree until he sat down. He felt Hinata trembling in his arms.

'_She must be cold.'_ He thought so he brought her closer to his body. She snuggled his chest and then remained still. Naruto blushed a little at her sudden action.

"Don't worry Hinata, I'll keep you safe." He was about to sleep when he saw Haro stand up.

"But who'll keep you safe?" Haro said.

"You… you're alive?" Naruto asked weakly. Haro just smirked and walked closer to Naruto.

[*.*.*.*]

Haruka Hyuga was running beside her husband, Hiashi Hyuga as they ran to the front gates of the village. She was worried about Hinata; she hadn't been in her room when she went to check in on her. She had her mother's intuition telling her to wake up and check on her. And if there was something she knew about being a mother it was that a mother's intuition was never wrong, that all mother's wanted their children to lead happy lives and to one day have grandchildren to spoil. She just hoped that the last one would come later in her life.

They were searching all over the Hyuga compound when they saw a large, green explosion. They didn't know if that would lead them to Hinata but that was the only lead they had. By the time, they had reached the village's gate; they saw a small orange fox messing around the with the two Chunin guards. By the way it was moving around; Haruka figured that it wanted the guards to follow it.

She walked up to the fox, picking it up to get a better view. Both Chunin guards bowed to the head of the Hyuga clan and his wife but she just ignored them.

"What has you all riled up, little one?" Haruka asked the fox. The fox jumped from Haruka's hands, bit down on the robe she wore and pulled it in the direction of the woods. Haruka looked at her husband and nodded her head. Hiashi hesitantly nodded his head as well and they both left the village.

"Tell the Hokage that my daughter's been kidnapped again and we're heading to get her back." Hiashi ordered the Chunins. They both saluted and disappeared.

Haruka kept up with the little fox, though she had to admit it was pretty fast. They ran for a short while before they saw a blond haired boy with a mask holding Hinata in his hands. The little fox stopped, causing both Haruka and Hiashi to stop as well. Hiashi was about to jump down and attack the boy when his wife stopped him. He looked at her questioningly but her eyes just remained on the boy. Hiashi impatiently waited for something to happen when he noticed Naruto pull Hinata closer to his body. This angered Hiashi and he was about to get up but Haruka stopped him again. He then noticed the small smile on his daughter's face and heard Naruto start speaking.

"Don't worry Hinata, I'll keep you safe." Haruka smiled warmly and Hiashi wasn't as mad but still didn't like how close they were.

"But who'll keep you safe?" They heard a mysterious voice say.

"You… you're alive?" They heard the blond kid reply. This time, Haruka didn't stop Hiashi from getting up. He jumped down and was about to attack when the blond kid suddenly yelled.

"Don't kill him." This confused the mysterious man but then realized what he meant when he felt some one hit him in the back of the neck. He looked back and his eyes widened in fear as he saw the head of the Hyuga clan. He fell unconscious from all the killer intent Hiashi was radiating. Haruka came down with the little fox and she walked over to Naruto who was barely conscious himself. The little fox went up to the blond kid and started licking his face.

"Are you ok little one?" Haruka asked in a gentle voice. Naruto dumbly nodded his head. Haruka gave the blond kid another warm smile before Hiashi came over.

"What's your name boy?" He asked coldly but it didn't seem to affect him. He just smiled as he gave his answer.

"I'm honored that the prestigious and powerful Hyuga clan head wants to know my name. My name's Naruto Uzumaki of the Immortal clan." That was the last thing he said before he fell asleep. ANBU and a medical ninja suddenly appeared and they took in the scene in front of them. The medical ninja examined Hinata and Naruto.

"The girl is alright, she was just knocked unconscious but the boy, he's just exhausted from over using his chakra. Take him to the hospital." The medical-nin ordered. An ANBU with a wolf mask was about to pick Naruto up when a hand blocked him from reaching him. The ANBU looked up and saw that it was Hiashi who stopped him.

"It's alright; we'll take him and make sure he gets the proper medical attention. Just check on the other guy over there." Hiashi pointed over to Haro.

"Don't… forget… the other… one…" Naruto said weakly while pointing over to Jiro's body. ANBU nodded their head and went to recover Haro and Jiro for their interrogation. Hiashi picked up Naruto while Haruka picked up Hinata and they both travelled home.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto awoke to the sounds of talking. Although they were quiet and muffled, he still heard them. He opened his eyes to see a white ceiling and the light off. He turned his head to the left and saw an empty room, nothing special, just a nightstand and a closet. He knew he wasn't in his room because he left his room a mess when he went to school. He sat up and felt something pulling on his skin, so he looked at his arm and saw some cables connected to it. He pulled them off and walked out of the room. He started walking aimlessly around the place until he found what looked like the living room. He walked in and he saw two adult talking in the next room.

The man noticed Naruto in the living room and motioned him to join him. Naruto walked into the room and saw more people in the room. They were in dining room eating dinner and Naruto remember who he was looking at.

"My pardon Hyuga-sama, I didn't mean to cause trouble." Naruto said as he bowed his head. Hiashi smirked at Naruto's manners; he honestly didn't think he had any.

"It is no trouble at all Uzumaki-san. You may stand." Naruto stood up and got a better view of the room. He saw Hiashi and Haruka sitting together near the edge of the table. On the other side was the boy Naruto ran into who shoved him down. It took Naruto all his will power not to yell at the boy. On his left was a blushing Hinata who quietly ate her dinner.

"Hello there Hinata-san... and... Neji-san." Naruto said at the last minute. Neji just raised an eyebrow at Naruto before completely ignoring him.

"Please sit Uzumaki-san and join us." Haruka offered.

"Uhm... Thank you..." Naruto sat down across from Hinata and to the left of Neji who he still wanted to yell at. A waitress appeared and a tray of food and placed it in front of Naruto. He saw a bowl with rice and some type of soup. He bowed his head and grabbed the chop sticks and started eating. He stopped eating to ask the Hiashi something. "If you don't mind me asking but how long was I out for?"

"F-For about t-three days." Hinata answered for her father. Hiashi just nodded his head when Naruto looked at him.

"Well, at least it wasn't as long as last time." He said to himself.

"Last time?" Haruka asked. Naruto mentally slapped himself for being too loud.

"Uhm… yes, last time I collapsed." He answered vaguely.

"Why d-did you c-collapsed?" Hinata's curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but ask. When Naruto looked at Hinata, she looked down and ate some more food. He then looked at his food as he told his story.

"Well, I guess I might as well start from the beginning. It happened sometime around last year; I was walking around the village when someone threw something at me and hit me in the head."

"Why w-would someone throw something at y-you?" Hinata asked again. When Naruto looked at her again, she didn't look away like she normally would. Naruto, Hiashi and Haruka already knew why but neither said anything.

"Well he was drunk so maybe he was just angry and saw me first but don't worry, I'm fine now. So, then he got two other drunks to throw rocks at me and I just rolled up in a ball and protected Miyu. By the way where is she?" Naruto asked.

"Miyu?" Hiashi asked.

"Yeah, that small orange fox. Have you seen it around?"

"Oh the fox, we let it go outside. It seemed like it wanted to run outside." Haruka replied. Naruto nodded his head and continued his story.

"Then a man beat down the three drunks and asked me why I didn't fight back. I honestly didn't know either and he walked away. I asked him to train me so I can learn how to defend myself. He told me to meet him in a clearing five minutes away from the park. I got there and he told me to pick up a sword. I picked up two, which were a lot lighter than I expected, and so did he. He then attacked me and I defended myself. After the fight he told me to pack my things and took me to his home land for training for a year. I came back two weeks ago but they told me I collapsed from chakra exhaustion." Naruto finished, surprising everyone, even Neji.

"W-What did you l-learn?" Hinata asked.

"The way of the Immortals and the art of swordsmanship."

"The way of the I-Immortals? A-As in the one's that live f-forever?"

"No Hinata-chan, as in the clan. I read about them once when I was reading some scrolls we have in the library. They would wear all black clothing with stylized silver Kabuki mask and segmented plate cuirasses, and they wield silver shields and katanas. Also, the Immortals expectations for their members are said to be worse than the infantry units. The scroll also mentions that they were imperial guards at one point with supernatural/above average abilities in war, though the scroll isn't too specific about their abilities. That's about all I learned, am I close Naruto?" Haruka asked.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I am the last of my clan." Naruto said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Hiashi asked.

"You see, there was a war that occurred almost two years ago in my master's home land. Apparently his perception of time was horrible because when I first asked him about it he told me it happened not long ago when it was actually a year.

"In this war, two major countries were battling against each other. One of them sent the Immortal clan to fight for them but they were wiped out during the fight. My master only survived because he was unconscious and others thought he was dead. He walked over here in Konoha in hopes to rebuild his clan, and a year later, I showed up in his life and asked him if I could in his clan. He agreed seven months after I showed him I was good enough. Sadly, he died before we were able to come home." Naruto closed his eyes and gave a moment of silence for his late master. The others remain quiet in respect of Naruto's master.

They finished eating after some time and Neji excuses himself. Naruto and Hinata stand to leave as well but Haruka stop them.

"Please sit, there's something we still need to deal with." Naruto and Hinata both sat down and looked at the two adults in the room.

"Hinata you go first, please tell us what happened yesterday." Hinata nodded and started speaking.

"W-Well, I was sleeping when someone came i-into my room and threw m-me into a bag. I-I tried to escape b-but the man was too strong." Hinata was crying at this point. Haruka stood up and hugged her daughter to try and comfort her. "When I woke up, I-I saw Naruto over me t-trying to wake me and told m-me not to worry."

"By the way Hinata, why did you faint when I saved you?" Hinata started blushing but it didn't go unnoticed by Haruka.

"I-I guess I was s-still tired." Hinata said. Naruto nodded his head; that was understandable in his mind.

"Ok, now you Naruto." Haruka ordered. He nodded his head and cleared his throat.

"I was out walking to a clearing after my training not long from here that has a river that Miyu likes to visit. When we got there, Miyu accident got in and was being pulled by the current. I ran after her and jumped in to save her. When I was sure I got her, I held on to a rock, got on top of it and jumped out. I heard someone coming and so I hid in the bushes.

"I saw two guys come out and one of them had Hinata in a bag. So I made a plan and tricked them with a genjutsu, When they left, I quickly grabbed Hinata to make sure she was ok, of course I didn't really know who was in the bag so I had to check it out anyways.

"After she fainted, I picked her up and started walking to Konoha. I suddenly sense two people coming so I hid Hinata behind a tree and waited for the men to show up. I knew it was pointless to run since they would catch up to me and hiding would have been pointless since they still would've found me, so I chose to fight. When I found them, I hit one in the chin and Miyu cut the other guy. I fought and knocked out one of them but the other thought I killed him so he tried to avenge his fallen comrade.

"I guess I really am an Immortal since I was able to defeat a ninja when I am not one yet." Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head. "After that, I picked up Hinata and tried to head home but I was too tired. When I saw the other guy stand, that's when you showed up." Naruto finished.

_'This boy is incredible.'_ Hiashi thought amazed while his face remained passive. Haruka and Hinata were both speechless.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto ran into school the next day, hoping he didn't miss anything exciting in the days he was absent. He ran into the room to see Iruka sitting in his desk.

"So Naruto, want to explain why you haven't been to school?" He was about to answer when a voice spoke up first.

"He was with me Iruka-san." Hiashi said as he entered the room, Hinata following in tow.

"Really? What happened?" Iruka asked as Hinata and Naruto went to their seats.

"Another time, right now, you have a class to teach." Hiashi bowed and left the room. Iruka took a while to compose himself before turning his attention to his class.

"Ok class, today we will practice on our shuriken/kunai throws." He got different reactions from the class. Half of them groaned, a quarter of them cheered and the rest didn't really care.

When they got outside, they lined up in alphabetical order by last name. Many did ok, just as Iruka had imagined. He didn't expect anyone to hit the bull's eye except maybe Sasuke and maybe Hinata. Choji had a less than average aim but he didn't care, he just kept eating the chips he brought. Shino had an above average aim as he hit one bull's eye. Sakura did an average job, much to her disappointment. Hinata threw her kunai and two of them hit the bull eyes, the other three were still impressive even if they didn't hit the bull's eye. Naruto congratulated her as she joined the rest of the class which caused her to blush and play with her fingers. Kiba, well he was around Choji's league. Shikamaru didn't even throw his; he just let them fall to the ground and called the whole exercise 'troublesome'.

When Sasuke went up, almost all the girls cheered for him. They kept chanting his name much to his displeasure. He threw his five shuriken and they each hit the bull's eye. This caused all his fan girls to squeal and congratulate him. He didn't really care about his fan girls but he didn't want to be mean either so he thanked them as he went back to the line.

Now it was Naruto's turn. Hinata silently wished him good luck as he walked up the target. He started to examine it before he walked back and went to throw his first kunai. When it hit the bull eye, a large crack formed and ran horizontal through the target. It didn't completely split in half but it looked like would fall apart in any moment.

"Oops, sorry Iruka-sensei looks like I over did it." He said and then laughed sheepishly.

"It's ok Naruto… Uhm, just try to hold back when you throw it." Iruka said dumbly. Naruto nodded and threw his other four without cracking the target. He went back in line as everyone still looked at the crack he made. Ino went up but like Sakura, she an average job as well. When they all finished, they all walked back to the classroom. Sasuke went up to Iruka and asked him if he could have a sparring match with Naruto.

"Well, I was going to have you write notes about how a genjutsu works but I guess we can do that tomorrow. Naruto!" Iruka called over Naruto.

"Sasuke wants to have a sparring match with you, do you accept?" Iruka asked since he couldn't really force a match unless it was for an exam.

"Sure." Naruto replied casually. Everyone stood in the stands over the gym as they saw Naruto and Sasuke face each other. Iruka was down there to referee the match and to make sure nothing bad happened.

"Ok, here are the rules: This is going to be taijutsu only, so no ninjutsu or genjutsu, if you know any. Also, the match is over when I saw it's over, got that?" Naruto and Sasuke nodded, so Iruka stood back to give them room. "OK, BEGIN!"

Neither of them moved, both waiting for the other to start the match. Naruto fingered his sword. He decided to bring at least one sword; he wanted to be ready for anything. He didn't want a repeat of what happened a couple of days ago.

"So why did you challenge me to a match?" Naruto asked.

"After what I saw back there, I wanted to see who was better, me or you?" Sasuke answered. Naruto smirked at his answer and was starting to get impatient. So, Naruto rushed Sasuke and pulled out his sword. This surprised everyone in the room, they didn't think he had a real sword, they all thought it was a kendo stick or something like that. Naruto swung his sword and then struck the ground. He used his momentum to jump over the sword and kick Sasuke in the chest. Lucky for him, Sasuke brought his arms up and blocked the kick. Seeing as he didn't get the hit, Naruto pushed Sasuke back with his feet as he did a back flip and landed.

A whistle was blown and Iruka stood in between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Naruto, why do you have a real sword?" Iruka asked madly.

"Because I'm a swordsman. I have been for over a year now. Why, is there a problem?" Naruto asked. Iruka took Naruto's sword.

"Yes, it's dangerous to wield one. If you insist on using a sword at least use a kendo sword." Iruka said as he held out a kendo sword for Naruto to use. Naruto crossed his arms and looked away.

"Sorry but I can't use those. Only weaklings and cowards use kendo swords. A real warrior wouldn't worry about safety so I don't." Naruto offered as a reply. Some of the girls in the stands started swooning over Naruto. They claimed he was cool and dangerous like a typical bad boy. Sasuke's remaining fan girls just shrugged him off, they stayed loyal to Sasuke. That was the day that Naruto's fan girls started forming. Hinata didn't really like the fact that she might have some competition for Naruto's affection.

In the days Naruto had been unconscious she would visit his room daily and wait for him to wake up. While waiting, she had a lot of time to realize why he had been in her mind recently. She had a crush on the masked boy. Of course she didn't tell anyone, but her mom knew though. How she knew, Hinata wouldn't really know but she was glad her mother didn't tell her father. He probably would've freaked.

"Who told you they were for weaklings and cowards?"

"My master, I asked him once if it was a good idea to let me use real swords instead of kendo swords but he told me weaklings and cowards think about safety." Naruto answered nonchalantly.

"Well maybe I should have a talk with your master."

"Go ahead, he's dead but if you do find a way to talk to him tell him I said hi and ask him when he's going to pay me back the money he owes me." Naruto said. Iruka blanched and took some steps back.

"CONTINUE!" He yelled and Sasuke charged Naruto this time. He sent a punch for Naruto's head but he ducked and sent a punch for Sasuke's gut. Sasuke flipped back to avoid his punch. Naruto then ran at him, jumped and kicked him in the chest. Sasuke rolled back and recovered. Sasuke then jumped up and launched an axe kick for Naruto's head. Naruto blocked the kick with both hands and grabbed on to his legs. He spun around quickly and let him go, sending him to the wall. Sasuke turned in mid-air and recovered before he hit the wall. Then he pushed himself off the walls and sped for Naruto.

He jumped and did a roundhouse kick which Naruto blocked and grabbed again but this time Sasuke expected it. Sasuke did a handstand and sent another kick for Naruto's head. Naruto used his free hand to block this kick as well. Sasuke smirked and pushed himself of the ground with his hands. He formed a fist with his left hand and sent it for Naruto's head. It hit its mark and sent Naruto rolling back after he let Sasuke go.

Naruto stood up after his fall and cursed himself for getting sloppy. He then smirked and charged Sasuke again. The fight continued and finished as a draw between them. Naruto and Sasuke shook hands and the whole class cheered for them. Iruka smiled at their sportsmanship and Mizuki walked away, a frown on his face.

"Good job you two." Iruka congratulated as he walked over to them. Naruto smiled proudly as Sasuke crossed his arms a smiled a small smile.

_'Naruto…'_ Hinata thought before all the fan girls started cheering louder.

"That was awesome Sasuke/Naruto!"

* * *

**Chapter three everyone! So how was it? Good, bad, horrible, adjectives that'll make me feel like a failuire, adjectives that'll make me happy?**

**Well that's up to you so tell me what you think...**

**Like I mentioned before, I might not update as fast as I usually do so sorry about that...**

**Also, I took out the last part of chapter one with Hikari and Zabuza... I'm not cutting her from the story but I feel like i put her in it too soon so I took her out, but you'll read about her soon enough so just hold one..**

**Next Chapter: New rivalry, new teams & new problems**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	4. New rivalry, new teams & new problems

**Yo, chapter 4! I didn't feel like doing summer assigments so I decided to do this! Be happy!**

**I decided to make the teams the way I wanted to... I set up the polls but only one person voted and I'm not a very patient person, sorry about that...**

**So for the teams, I followed the request of kami no ryu... Don't know what they requested, read to find out... I'd also like to apologize to GravityTheWIZARD since I didn't set up the teams the way he wanted to even though he has been one of the three reviewers to review the first three chapter.. I'm sorry to you and I hope you don't stop reading this story because of the way the team have been set up...**

**I'd like to take the chance to thank everyone who reviewed. Thanks to your reviews, I know that at least some people like the story...  
**

**Also, I'd like to personally thank ****GravityTheWIZARD, Leaf Ranger (who has some great fics that you should check out...) and geetac for reviewing all three chapters... Thanks again, it means a lot!**

**Without further ado, Chapter 4: ****New rivalry, new teams & new problems**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto...**

* * *

_Last time on__Naruto of the Immortal Clan__..._

_"Good job you two." Iruka congratulated as he walked over to them. Naruto smiled proudly as Sasuke crossed his arms a smiled a small smile._

_'Naruto…' Hinata thought before all the fan girls started cheering louder._

_"That was awesome Sasuke/Naruto!"_

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto woke up to his alarm. The evil machine rang and rang until Naruto decided to do something about it. Outside, everything was peaceful, the birds were singing and early joggers were jogging. Then one of the joggers heard a window break and an alarm clock head for the ground. It broke as soon as it made contact with the ground and Naruto smiled as he saw the many pieces of his alarm clock all over his road outside. He yawned as he walked over to the bathroom to relieve himself. He came out and looked at his calendar causing him to smile widely. Naruto had been waiting for this day since he was six; he was finally going to take the graduation exam so he could become a genin.

Six years has passed since Naruto was challenged by Sasuke and it had become a regular thing between the two, though Sasuke changed when he turned nine. When they sparred, his moves were more aggressive and stronger. Naruto thought it was a phase he was going through but then he heard of the Uchiha Massacre. His older brother, Itachi Uchiha, murdered his entire family except for Sasuke, which no one seemed to understand why.

When Naruto learned of it, he understood why Sasuke became distant. He was cold and quiet, and whenever someone tried to talk to him he would just tell them off or not respond at all. Naruto was the only one he didn't snap at, but then again he barely said a word to him. When they did talk, it was just to ask if he'd spar with him. Other than that, Sasuke refused to be social. Naruto shook his head, he didn't hold the way he reacted to his family's murder against Sasuke but there was other ways to deal with this sort of thing.

Hinata, she was sure a mystery to Naruto; she would always stutter and blush when she spoke to him. Sometimes, she would faint if he ever made contact with her. She was a weird girl in Naruto's mind, but he still liked her. He saw Hinata as a best friend since she was genuinely nice to him, not like all the fakes in his class. In fact, she was the only girl he could have a decent conversation with.

His fan-girls would just stare and nod when he talked to them, not really understanding what he was talking about. During the last five years, Naruto has learned how to read people by there body language and eyes. His fan-girls didn't really care what Naruto was talking about, just that he was talking to them. And they would always flirt with him, which he didn't understand either. He wore a mask that covered his face and yet they still flirted. He just didn't understand girls.

Back to Hinata though, Naruto honestly wanted to find out why she always blushed, stuttered and fainted around him. An idea of why she did that would constantly appear in his mind, but he always put them down, as he highly doubted that it was the real reason why. He usually laughed at the idea of her liking him as anything more than a friend. It wasn't that he didn't like her; she was one of the prettiest girls in his class, in his mind but she was way out of his league.

As a matter of fact, Naruto always noticed the little things about her; like the fact that her eyes were not white as some of his class thought, but in fact were very light silver with a hint of lavender. Also, whenever she got nervous, her left foot would involuntarily fidget just a little, almost too slow to notice. However, Naruto noticed; he noticed that she only bit the nails in her thumbs, the rest were normally cut.

One thing he noticed that bothered him was the fact that she would sometimes hide her sadness through her smiles, but in her eyes it was always there. Naruto had repeatedly asked Hinata what was bothering her but she would never say or just say it was nothing. Naruto made a vow to find out exactly why she was secretly sad. He noticed every small thing about Hinata, every move, every sound; it was as if he was in love with her.

Naruto always blushed when he thought about it. Yup it's was true; no matter how many times he denied it he had a crush on the shy girl – and possibly something more. He figured it out four years after he saved her from the cloud-nin's second attempt to gain the Byakugan. It happened one day in school when some girls older than her started making fun of her eyes.

Naruto saw Hinata crying on the floor while the older girls continued to laugh and mock her. Naruto didn't like that so he out a stop to it. He told them to stop messing with Hinata and to mess with someone their own size. They just laughed at him but left anyways seeing as their fun was over. Naruto went over to Hinata and made sure she was ok. When she looked up, it was that day he noticed what color her eyes really were and how much emotion they held. He felt bad when he saw her crying, like as if they kicked him in the stomach and ripped his heart out.

The next day, he walked into school seeing Hinata talking to Kiba. Normally this wouldn't bother him but he saw that Kiba had his arm over Hinata while she looked uncomfortable. This made Naruto's blood boil and he wanted to beat Kiba to an inch of his life. When he saw Hinata walk away from Kiba and closer to him however, he felt a whole lot better. The day after that, he was telling a joke to Hinata and actually made her laugh, not a short shy laugh, but an actual laugh. Her angelic laughter sent chills down his spine and made his day seem brighter.

After school, he went to see Iruka-sensei so that his teacher could explain why he felt that way. After he told Iruka-sensei everything, Iruka-sensei just laughed and asked Naruto what he thought it meant. When Naruto told him he didn't know, Iruka-sensei told him that she was special and that he liked her. Naruto denied it and walked away saying that Iruka-sensei was losing it.

Naruto never thought the same way after that, though he continually had to deal with his feelings, he never mentioned it to anyone else, especially not to Hinata. He thought as soon as he told her, their friendship would be over, and he didn't want that. Oh how wrong he was.

Naruto walked into his closet and found a clean shirt to wear. He put on his blue short sleeve shirt, black sleeveless sweater, black pants and black shoes. He also put on his blue fingerless gloves and black headband. He started wearing it again so he could remember his dead master Amir. He still took at least one sword, much to the displeasure of Iruka-sensei.

Naruto walked out of his house and ran to school, too excited to simply walk there.

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata woke up right before her alarm went off. She got out of bed and stretched the sleep away. She looked at the time then at the calendar causing to smile. She went straight for her bathroom to get ready for the day. She was happy that today was the day that she would be able to make her father proud, today was the day of the graduation exam. Hinata had been waiting for this day since her mother died shortly after giving birth to Hanabi. Due to birth complications that are unknown to her, all Hinata knew was that her mother died hours after Hanabi was born. After that, her father grew cold and stern. It was like when her mother died so did her father's happiness.

Hinata walked out of the bathroom and into her room in a towel. She walked up to her closet and started getting dressed. After she put on her lavender shirt, navy pant and shoes, she put on the bulky sweater she usually wore. She started wearing after she noticed that she was developing a lot faster than most of the girls in her class. She thought she looked odd and would drive Naruto away if he saw her, so she wore it so neither him nor anyone else would see. After she got dressed, she silently walked out of her home and walked to school.

On her way there, she started wondering if she would be able to pass the exam. What if she didn't? Her father would be angry and disappointed in her, while Naruto would probably laugh and would want to stop being her friend. Hinata immediately stopped walking at that thought. Naruto wouldn't do that, would he?

Speaking of which, Naruto made a sharp turn and crashed right into Hinata. They both fell down hard, though Hinata had a softer landing. As Naruto was falling back his reflexes kicked and grabbed the person he ran into, which was Hinata. Unfortunately, he lost his footing and fell back, dragging poor Hinata with him.

Naruto opened his eyes and they suddenly widened because of the position they were in. Hinata was on top of him and her lips mere centimetres from his. Naruto blushed under his mask, he once dreamt of something like this, though under other circumstances. Hinata, well; she looked into Naruto's blue eyes and was hypnotized. The same could be said for Naruto, as he couldn't stop starring into her beautiful silver orbs.

_'They're much prettier up close.'_ Naruto thought. When Naruto blinked, the thought of being so close to Naruto finally hit Hinata and she blushed and finally fainted. Naruto sighed when he saw her faint. He got up, picked up Hinata bridal-style and walked to school.

"I wonder how long she'll continue to do this." Naruto said to himself as he walked to school with Hinata in his arms. When he arrived, Iruka gave him a look that asked 'what happened?'. Naruto only shook his head and gave him a looked that answered 'What does it look like?'. Iruka nodded and Naruto walked up to the desk that he and Hinata sat at. He put her on her seat and started shaking her awake. After a couple of shakes, she started moaning and said something that shocked Naruto.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said with a smile on her face. Naruto stopped shaking her and tried to think about what that meant.

_'Is she dreaming... about me? No, no she just knew I was shaking her and just wanted me to stop... so, why did she smile?'_Naruto decided to think about it another time, for now he just had to wake Hinata up. He shook her again, causing her to wake up.

"O-Oh, h-hello Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a small smile. Naruto smiled back, happy to know that she was back to normal.

"Hi there Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled, just as hyper as usual. Hinata's smile widened. Naruto then thought back to her saying his name and decided to bring it up.

"Hey Hinata-chan, why'd..." Though he didn't get a chance to finish as his fan-girls ambushed him from behind and hugged him. They were all squealing and trying to get him to pay attention to them. When Naruto looked back at Hinata, he saw the sadness in her eyes again. He still didn't understand why she held so much sadness in her eyes. She was pretty, nice and had the best personality someone could have, so why was she sad?

"Naruto-kun, do you want to go on a date with me after school?" One fan-girl said. He never could remember any of his fan-girl's names. Whenever he asked, everyone would say there name and he's never get a straight answer so he gave up on that. Besides, he knew it was just an infatuation just as he knew that Sasuke knew that about his own fan-girls. Over the years, Naruto's fan-girls grew to rival Sasuke's. Whenever they sparred, there would be a second fight going on in the stands about how Sasuke was better, then some would say Naruto was better and so on and so on.

"Sorry, I'm kind of busy after school." Naruto said gently, making most frown but they didn't deter. Naruto just wished something would happen so he could be left alone.

"Alright, everyone sit down." Naruto mentally thanked Iruka-sensei for speaking up. The fan-girls of both boys sighed and went to their seat. Naruto let out a sigh of his own, filled with relief as he sat down, and heard Hinata giggle. He turned his head to look at her and he saw a small smile on her face as she tried to cover it with her hand.

"It's not funny." Naruto simply said. Hinata looked up.

"O-Of c-course n-n-not." Hinata tried to say, trying and failing to stifle her laugh. Naruto then got an idea and started tickling her. Her giggle turned into laughter and she tried to make him stop. "P-Please, n-n-no, stop... N-N-Naruto-k-kun..." Hinata said as he continually tickled her. This went on for a minute before Naruto heard Iruka-sensei clear his throat. Naruto immediately stopped and helped Hinata sit back on her chair. She blushed deeply and noticed the many glares coming from Naruto's fan-girls. She brought her head to the desk and wished she could disappear. Out of the corner of his eyes, Naruto saw Hinata's leg fidget, just a little which caused him to smile. Naruto just laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry about that, you were saying Iruka-sensei?"

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto was standing in alone in a classroom, training dummies stood in the background and Iruka and Mizuki-sensei were sitting behind a table that held headbands with his village's symbol on it. Naruto eye's never left the head bands, he always dreamed of wearing it. Iruka-sensei once again had to clear his throat to get Naruto's attention.

"Now Naruto, do you remember what you have to do?" Iruka-sensei asked.

"Yup, substitution, transformation and clone jutsu." Naruto said and cracked his knuckles. He waited for one of the two instructors to throw a blunt kunai at him to practice the substitution jutsu. Mizuki ended up throwing the kunai and Naruto switched places with one of the training dummies. Naruto and Iruka expected the kunai to hit the dummy then bounce off but it just buried into the dummy.

"Are you trying to kill me Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked calmly but on the inside he was very ticked off. Mizuki raised his hands in defence.

"I'm sorry Naruto, it seems like I threw the wrong kunai. I could've sworn I had a blunt kunai." Mizuki said innocently. Naruto didn't really believe him but didn't say anything else. Naruto just continued with his test.

"**Transformation Jutsu!**" Naruto yelled and a man Iruka and Mizuki have never seen before stood in front of him. The man was about thirty to thirty-five years old. He wore a black masked that covered everything under his eyes which held hatred, pain and bloodlust. He wore an average headband that went across his forehead, but he wasn't a ninja. He was also bald, about six feet tall, and had a red robe on. Underneath the robe, they were able to tell he had two swords. The man was scary looking, some would say sinister, demonic even. When he made eye contact with Iruka and Mzuki, he sent chills down their spine. The kiler intent the man was sending off was something neither of them have ever felt before; it was insane.

"The hell you looking at? Never seen a man before? Or is it that I intimidate you, that I bring fear into your hearts that is slowly driving you crazy until you're in the brink of insanity? Well, what is it?" The man yelled angrily that Mizuki and Iruka were too fearful to talk, not taking the chance of angering the man more. The man scoffed and turned around but before he could completely turn around, Mizuki and Iruka were able to see a sinister smile. "Pathetic." Then a cloud of smoke appeared and a smiling Naruto stood where the man once was.

"Well?" Naruto asked as he waited for his teachers for to say something.

"N-Naruto, who was that man?" Iruka-sensei finally said, though Mizuki was still trying to compose himself.

"That was my master. I was going to transform into the Fourth Hokage but then I thought he'd be more... entertaining." Naruto answered. When he saw the look on Mizuki's face, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Enough Naruto. Now, time for the clone jutsu." Iruka-sensei said. Naruto nodded and started making hand signs.

"**Clone jutsu!**" He yelled and twenty five clones appeared.

"Naruto, we only needed three clones." Iruka said. Naruto laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh-heh, I tried to make three but this is the least amount of clones I can make, sorry." Iruka just smiled as he shook his head, Mizuki just scowled but tried not to show it.

"Well, it's enough Naruto. You passed with flying colors." Naruto jumped for joy as he ran to get his headband. He picked up a black one, removed the bead band he was wearing and replaced it with his new one.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei." Naruto said before running out of the room. When he returned to his classroom, he wanted to go talk to Hinata, but his fan-girls once again made that hard to do.

"Congratulations Naruto-kun." Many of his fan-girls said this, some were asking for a date and others just wanted to touch him. He sweat dropped and decided to put his ninja skills to good use and substituted himself with Kiba. The girls were confused and so was Kiba, though he wasn't complaining.

"Hello ladies." Kiba said before the fan-girls glared at him. While the fan-girls beat Kiba up, Naruto walked back to his seat to talk to Hinata.

"Hey." He said. Hinata blushed.

"H-Hello." She replied back. Naruto eye smiled at her, causing her smile to widened and her blush to deepened.

"So, looks like we're both ninjas now." Hinata nodded her head, not trusting her voice. Naruto then got serious as he continued to speak. "Looks like we might split up after this. We'll be on a three man squad and have to think of the team before ourselves." Hinata looked up at him and saw the sadness in his eyes.

"What do you think about it Hinata-chan?" Hinata made eye contact with Naruto before looking down and playing with her fingers.

"I-I just hope I'll b-be in the same team with people I-I know." Hinata answered vaguely.

"Well I'd rather have you on my team then a fan-girl." Naruto said nonchalantly.

"S-Same here." Hinata said quietly. Naruto just eye smiled again. Then he looked away.

"There's still a small chance we'll be on the same team." He said glumly. Hinata also thought about that and was saddened by it.

"So how about we do something just in case we don't end up in the same team?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked at him, blush still evident in her face.

"L-Like what?"

"Well..." Naruto put his hand on his chin and looked thoughtful. "How about we go out to eat?" Naruto suggested. Hinata felt lightheaded and felt more blood rush to her face.

"L-L-Like a d-d-date?" she stuttered. Naruto took it the wrong way and waved his arms in front of him.

"N-No, just two friends eating together. What do you say?" He said nervously. He had made it seem like a date to see how she would react to it. It wasn't the reaction he was hoping for and it hurt him.

"Oh..." Hinata said disappointed. "Uhm, o-ok Naruto-kun." Naruto eye smiled again. Even though she didn't feel the exact same way, any chance he had to spend more time with her was good enough.

"Great!"

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto and Hinata sat down in the ramen shop Naruto had suggested they should go to. She didn't seem to mind and now she looked a little nervous. Teuchi came from the kitchen and greeted his favorite and best customer.

"Hello there Naruto. Wow, looks like you're a ninja now." Teuchi greeted. Naruto touched his head band and eye smiled.

"Yup, now I can defend this village and am now one step closer to becoming Hokage." He replied. Teuchi looked at Hinata and Hinata just shied away a little.

"And who's this, is this Hinata?" Teuchi said, causing Naruto to tense up. Hinata just looked confused.

"D-Do I know you from s-somewhere?" She asked. Naruto was internally panicking and trying to find a way to avoid all of this.

"No but Naruto has talked a lot about you, I even think he has a c..." Naruto didn't let Teuchi finish. He jumped from his eat and covered his mouth. He laughed sheepishly as he saw Hinata's confused expression.

"Heh-heh, I just mentioned you from time to time. I also mentioned Iruka-sensei and my fights with Sasuke." Naruto said trying to convince Hinata. Hinata believed it but wondered what exactly Teuchi wanted to say. Naruto then whispered something to Teuchi that she didn't catch and then he nodded his head. Naruto sat back down and Teuchi went back to the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind but I ordered both of us chicken, is that ok?" Naruto asked. Hinata nodded and then they started talking. They talked about how they think the teams will be set up. Minutes into the conversation, their ramen came and Ayame winked at Naruto. That was usually a message for Naruto but Hinata took it the wrong way.

_'Great, more fan-girls."_Hinata thought soberly. Naruto got the message and checked under his bowl and a piece of paper was there. When he opened it up, it read:

_"Tell her, she'll understand..."_

_-Ayame and Teuchi_

Naruto looked up and saw both Ayame and Teuchi looking at him with a pleading look. Naruto sighed and shook his head. Ayame looked disappoint but Teuchi let it go. After eating the ramen, Hinata and Naruto continued to talk about being ninjas. Naruto then had a thought.

"Hinata-chan, remember how I told you we might not be in the same team? Well, if we don't, I want to make a deal with you, a sort of promise..."

"W-What kind of p-promise?" Hinata asked. Naruto brought his hand up and held his pinky out.

"Promise me we'll still be best friends and help each other out whenever we both need it." Naruto said with determination. Hinata registered his words as she looked at his pinky.

"B-Best friends?" She inquired, he just nodded his head. Hinata looked at his eyes and saw the determination and honesty behind his words.

"I promise." She said with a smile, put her pinky against his, and wrapped it with his and vice-versa. Ayame giggled softly at the interaction between the two and Teuchi just smiled.

[*.*.*.*]

Next day, both Naruto and Hinata were fidgeting in their seat in anticipation. They both wanted to be on each other's team more than anything; they didn't care who else was in it, just as long as they both were together. Simultaneously, they both blushed at the way they worded it in their mind.

They were brought out of their thoughts by the sound of someone running into the class. Then two screaming Sasuke fan-girls burst into the room. One they knew by the name of Sakura and the other by Ino. Naruto didn't like how they would drool over Sasuke instead of taking this seriously. Sure he would pull a prank or two, but when it came to training and important information, he became serious. They made a mockery of kunoichi in Naruto's mind.

Hinata was a good example of a kunoichi for someone who is just starting. She concentrates when she has too, she' pretty but a great fighter and very intelligent but never once had he ever seen her go into fan-girl mode for any guy.

Naruto blinked repeatedly. In fact, he never saw Hinata look at another guy with interest, not that he was complaining. This made Naruto wonder who she liked.

"Hey Hinata-chan, do you like someone?" Naruto asked bluntly. Hinata blushed and became nervous.

"W-Why do y-you ask?"

"Well, because I never seen you look at a guy that made it seem like you liked him." Naruto explained. Hinata was currently having an internal struggle with herself. She want to tell Naruto how she really felt but then again, she didn't want him to reject her.

"I-I... well, you see..." She started but just couldn't find the words to continue.

_'What's she so nervous about?'_ Naruto thought as he patiently waited for Hinata to finish. Though he wouldn't find out as Iruka-sensei poofed into the room and told everyone to sit down and remain quiet. _'Great timing Iruka-sensei.'_ Naruto thought as a vein popped out of his head.

He started naming the first six group, mostly people he didn't know or people he didn't really care to know. Naruto remembered what Amir told him long ago...

_'If they don't respect or like you, don't waste your time trying to get them to. Don't live in anger, just don't take any crap, ya got that?'_

"Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha..." All his fan-girls that weren't in a team were hoping to be in his team. "Hinata Hyuga..." Every fan-girl gave Hinata the evil eye. Naruto was extremely angry and almost shouted but Iruka said something that made him stop in his tracks. "And Naruto Uzumaki with jonin instructor Kakashi Hatake." Naruto silently thanked god for being merciful. Hinata was bursting with joy on the inside but looked content on the outside.

_'I get to be on Naruto's team.'_ She was brought out of her thoughts by a constant tug on her sweater.

"Hey, hey Hinata-chan, just because we're on the same team doesn't mean that we shouldn't keep our promise, right?" Hinata looked up and eagerly nodded. "Besides even if we weren't on the same team, I heard that the heart grows fonder for those they don't see in a long while." Naruto said but it came out wrong. He blushed and looked away. Hinata blushed to and wanted to ask what exactly he meant by that but he wouldn't look at her.

"Team 8: Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and Sakura Haruno with jonin instructor Kurenai Yuhi." Shino and Kiba were indifferent but Sakura was struggling not to blow up. She couldn't believe she didn't get in the same team as her Sasuke.

"Team ten: Shikamaru Nara..."

"Troublesome..."

"Choji Akimichi..."

*Munch-munch...*

"And Ino Yamanaka with jonin instructor Asuma Sarutobi." Ino's reaction was worse out of everyone. She used some words that are not for the weak at heart, or of a young age as they are the most impressionable.

Iruka noticed that not everyone enjoyed his or her teams. Sasuke was indifferent, but Naruto and Hinata were ecstatic. Iruka was happy they ended up in the same team; he knew of their crush with each other and hoped it worked out. Though he also hoped that it wouldn't blind them and stun their growth as ninjas.

Sakura was depressed; Shino was also indifferent while Kiba was a little angry that he wasn't in the same team as Hinata. Iruka also knew of Kiba's infatuation of the Hyuga girl and thought it was pointless. Hinata would never see another person the same way she saw Naruto.

As far as the next generation Shika-Ino-Cho team were concerned, they reacted just as their fathers had long ago, or so he heard.

"Now, you'll wait here for your jonin instructor." Iruka poofed away and left the new genins to meet their new teams. Naruto walked with Hinata over to Sasuke to stay together as a team. On their way there, they ran into team 8.

"Hey guys." Naruto said as Hinata shyly waved at team 8. She was happy that she at least knew someone in that team so she wouldn't feel like the outcast, she just hoped that the person she knew wouldn't flirt with her. Sadly though, that wasn't going to happen.

"Hello Hinata, sit next to me." Kiba said as he patted the seat next to him. Naruto didn't spend so much as a minute with Kiba and already he wanted to chop Kiba up into tiny pieces of kibble and feed it to his dog Akamaru. Akamaru must've sensed this because he started barking at Naruto. Naruto wanted to tell the dog to shut up but couldn't because; one, it'd make him look like a jerk and two, because he thought of a better idea of doing that. Naruto quickly ran to the window, opened it and whistled loudly.

Everyone present was confused by his actions and wondered what or whom he was trying to call. He walked back to Akamaru and bent down.

"Just wait right there." Naruto said. He stood up straight and saw team 8's facial reaction. "Heh-heh, just wait." Then an orange blur entered the class through the window and jumped on Akamaru. Akamaru wasn't expecting this and was shoved into the floor and felt something on top of him.

Miyu was wagging her tail as she stood over Akamaru. Akamaru had no idea what a fox was doing on top of him but he wouldn't stand for it. He jumped up and started growling at Miyu while she just happily sat in front of him. Akamaru then sprang into action and tried to jump on Miyu but she was too quick and moved to the left. Akamaru just slid after missing until he to a complete stop. Miyu started moving around Akamaru, she thought they were playing and was having. Akamaru though, not so much.

"It's so cute." Hinata and Sakura said as Hinata picked up Miyu. Miyu sniffed Hinata for a while before she jumped from her hands and started licking her face. Hinata started laughing and again, Naruto felt the same chill run down his spine.

"Her name's Miyu by the way. Now let's go meet our new teammate..." Miyu barked at Naruto when he wanted to pick her up. She looked like she wanted to stay with Hinata for a bit longer. Hinata also wanted to hold Miyu longer as well, that's the expression Naruto read anyways. "Ok then, you don't mind holding her do you Hinata-chan?" She shook her head and they left to where Sasuke was.

"Looks like they like each other." Sakura said.

"Yes, it appears so." Shino added.

"She's too good for him." Kiba commented.

"I was talking about Hinata and Miyu." Sakura said with a sweat drop. Kiba just grunted and blushed.

As Naruto, Hinata and Miyu walked over to Sasuke, Naruto bumped into Shikamaru's chair and the boy just groaned.

"Watch it Naruto." Shikamaru said. He was playing Shogi with Choji who didn't look like he wanted to play. Naruto stopped walking and looked at the game. "Something you want?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Yeah, let me play..." Naruto requested, Hinata noticed that she was walking alone by now and walked back to where Naruto was. Shikamaru thought about it then shrugged. He made to stand but Naruto put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Against you; Sorry Choji, I got nothing against you."

"No problem, I would've lost anyways." Choji got up and Naruto went to sit in his seat. Choji sat next to Shikamaru, Hinata sat next to Naruto with Miyu sleeping on the table and with that the game began. At the end, Shikamaru won, but just barely.

"Nice game, a nice way to pass the time. Well, see ya." Naruto said as he and Hinata walked to their other teammate. Shikamaru watched him leave and then smirked.

"What are you thinking?" Choji asked.

"There's more to Naruto than meets the eye." Asuma entered the class, so Shikamaru stood up with Ino and started walking to the door.

"Aren't you going to pick up the game!" Choji yelled. Shikamaru shrugged as he walked.

"Too troublesome." He replied. Choji just laughed and went after his team. Miyu just woke up and saw that she was alone. She yawned, stretched, and went to find Hinata.

When they reached Sasuke, he was deep in thought. Naruto wanted to pull a prank on him but Hinata told him not to. So instead, Hinata and Naruto talked about what it will be like to be in a team, what missions they might get, the dangers they would face and the legends they would create. Hinata just listened and played with Miyu as he told her that he guaranteed that they would be legends. Hinata had no doubt in her mind that what Naruto said was true.

"Maybe, but you'll have to work extra hard to be better than me." Sasuke added.

"Who said you were better than me?" Naruto asked.

"It's not something that needs to be said, it's just common knowledge." Sasuke replied. He knew he was on equal grounds with Naruto but he wouldn't say it out loud. Though he didn't really feel like talking, he also didn't want to do nothing as they waited for their jonin sensei so he might as well have some fun.

"That's not common knowledge, that's more like science-fiction. Impossible if not ridiculous." Naruto retorted, causing Hinata to try to stifle a laugh. Naruto also knew that they were equal in terms of strength and was man enough to admit it. He also knew that Sasuke was trying to get him to over react. Too bad Naruto knew what he was trying to do, he even did it to him, but unlike Naruto, Sasuke took the bait.

"What did you say dobe?" Sasuke said angrily.

"You heard me teme." Naruto retorted. This continued for another hour, Sasuke and Naruto arguing while Hinata played the peacemaker. She eventually tired out and just made sure Naruto didn't hit Sasuke and vice-versa while Miyu barked at Sasuke.

The classroom door opened and Kakashi saw Naruto grabbing Sasuke by his collar, a fox biting biting down on Sasuke's shoe and Hinata holding Naruto's fist in the air. She was able to stop him before it even touched Sasuke and then she saw Kakashi waiting at the door. Sasuke also looked at the door and Naruto only sighed as he hung his head.

"You're late Kakashi-sensei." Naruto simply said. Kakashi just remained at the door.

"My first impression of you guys... you're a bunch of idiots." Everyone sweat dropped. "Now, meet me in the roof in five minutes." He was about to leave when Naruto's voice caught his attention.

"How do we know you won't take an hour to get there?" Kakashi was about to answer but Naruto didn't let him. "Don't, I really don't want to know." Naruto casually walked by Kakashi as he headed for the roof. Kakashi looked at the rest of team 7 and they just shrugged it off. Miyu walked out of the class through the window and Kakashi just guessed it went to do thing foxes normally did.

_'He's certainly an interesting one.'_

[*.*.*.*]

"Ok, now I want you to introduce yourselves." Kakashi started.

"W-What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"You know your likes, dislikes, dreams of the future, hobbies... Things like that."

"How about you show us how it's done sensei?" Naruto requested nonchalantly as he looked at the clouds slowly passing by.

"Alright. My name's Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...never really thought about it. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies." Everyone sweat dropped and Naruto even face-palmed. "Okay, now you with the mask, you go."

"Fine, my name's Naruto Uzumaki of the Immortal Clan. I like training, my friends and ramen. I hate the three minutes you have to wait after adding the hot water to ramen, and people who are prejudiced, and my dream is to be the greatest Hokage, one that surpasses his predecessors and can protect his precious people. As for my hobbies, well, I like to train and garden." Naruto sat down after his introduction. Kakashi eye smiled.

"Ok, now you with the sweater."

"W-Well, my name's H-Hinata Hyuga. I like..." She looked at Naruto and then blushed. "I like to gather h-herbs and make medicine. I-I don't necessarily h-hate anything b-but I don't like it w-when people are mean to m-my friends. M-My dream is to be l-like my mother who was a great Hyuga and a smart and beautiful woman and to have a family of my own in the future. My h-hobbies are gardening as well and m-making herbs."

"Your turn Mister sunshine." Naruto and Hinata both tried to stifle a laugh and Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

"My name's Sasuke Uchiha. I don't particularly like anything and I hate a lot of things. What I have is not a dream but an ambition. I will rebuild my clan and destroy a certain someone." Sasuke said solemnly as everyone had their own thought.

_'W-Who does he want to destroy?'_

_'Just like Kakashi-sensei all I learned was his name, but at least he told us his "ambition" or so he calls it.'_

_'So that's how it is huh?'_

"Now, be at the designated training spot at five in the morning. I'll explain what our first mission is."

"Why not explain it now?" Naruto asked. Kakashi started chuckling. "Ehh?"

"You'll be taking a survival exercise to see if you're good enough to be a genin."

"W-What? B-But we already t-took an exam to be a genin, w-why do have to do it again?" Hinata asked. Kakashi then started laughing.

"Why are you laughing about, that's a normal question to ask." Naruto said. When Kakashi was calm enough he spoke.

"Well if I tell you, then you wouldn't like my answer."

"Just tell us already." Sasuke said.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. Of the twenty seven graduates that just came here, only nine will be accepted as genin. That means the other eighteen will be wheaded out and sent back to the academy. In other words this is a pass or fail, make-it-or-break-it test and the chances that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent."

Team 7 each got a different reaction from that. Naruto didn't believe it but didn't show it. Hinata didn't believe it either and Naruto caught her leg shaking. Sasuke was passive but Naruto and Kakashi both knew he was freaking out in his own way.

"See... didn't I tell you that you wouldn't like it?"

"Wait, so what was the graduation test for then?" Naruto asked.

"That? That was just to see who might have a chance of becoming a genin. I get to choose if you become one or get sent back to the academy."

"That's messed up." Naruto quietly commented.

"Be that as it may, be at the designated training spot at five in the morning and bring your ninja gear." Everyone had their own thoughts going through their head as Kakashi stood. "That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, and you might want to skip breakfast or else... you'll puke." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

* * *

**So how was it? Was it good? let me know...**

**Sorry again to those who wanted different team but not many people reviewed or voted on the teams so yeah, sorry...**

**I wasn't planning on making this chapter fluffy but when I re-read it, it had a certain fluff to it didn't it? I thought so anyways...**

**Next Chapter: Kakashi's test, Pass or Fail...**

**Good luck with whatever and don't forget to review!**


	5. Kakashi's test, Pass or Fail

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Yo! Here's chapter 5: Kakashi's test, Pass or Fail...

**Thanks for those who review, it means a lot...**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO**

* * *

_Last time on __Naruto of the Immortal Clan__..._

_"See... didn't I tell you that you wouldn't like it."_

_"Wait, so what was the graduation test for then?" Naruto asked._

_"That? That was just to see who might have a chance of becoming a genin. I get to choose if you become one or get sent back to the academy."_

_"That's messed up." Naruto quietly commented._

_"Be that as it may, be at the designated training spot at five in the morning and bring your ninja gear." Everyone had their own thoughts going through their head as Kakashi stood. "That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, and you might want to skip breakfast or else... you'll puke." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a whirl of leaves._

[*.*.*.*]

The sun was just rising as everyone in team 7 appeared at the designated training spot at exactly five in the morning. Hinata was still drowsy but was still awake enough to notice her other two teammates arriving. Sasuke just walked casually to the training spot, looking like he regularly wakes up at that time. Naruto on the other hand, looked half-asleep.

He was walking with both eyes closed and seemed to have come to the spot without opening them once. As soon as team 7 reached the same spot, Naruto fell down and started sleeping again. Sasuke and Hinata decided to stand as they waited for Kakashi to show up. Hinata looked at Naruto as he slept. She smiled softly as she saw his peaceful expression. She also noticed what he was wearing.

Usually, he wore a black mask, a black headband, blue fingerless gloves, a blue shirt under a sleeveless coat, black pants and shoes, and a sword on his back; now however, He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt, navy blue pants and black shoes. Though he wore his mask and gloves like normally, he had two swords on his back instead of one. This intrigued Hinata, as she never knew that he could use both swords.

"I bet he doesn't even know how to use both swords. He might be skilled in kenjutsu with one sword alone, but he probably doesn't know how to handle the extra blade." Sasuke commented as if he read Hinata's mind. Suddenly, two blades were poised dangerously at the Uchiha's throat, like a giant pair of scissors was getting ready to cut his head off. The one holding the blade was the one both Hinata and Sasuke thought was dead asleep. A single bead of sweat rolled down Sasuke's cheek.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, something you want to tell me?" Naruto said, dangerously calm. Sasuke came out of his stupor and backed up, scoffing at Naruto as he relaxed and got out of his stance.

_'He's fast, I didn't even see him move.'_ Sasuke thought as Naruto walked over to a tree and leaned into it. Hinata was having a similar thought to Sasuke's.

_'He's so fast and precise; he's even faster than Sasuke. He's probably really good, but I'm not. Not enough for him to notice me.'_ She thought depressingly. She felt someone's eyes looking at her and she looked up to see it was Naruto. She blushed under his calculating stare and then motioned her to join him. She walked over to him and he sat down while his back was still leaning on the tree. He motioned her to sit next to him, causing the blush to deepen while she did so.

"I-Is there something y-you want Naruto-kun?" She asked shyly. He just shook his head.

"Not really."

"S-So... uhm, not that I mind, b-but why did you a-ask me to join you?" Hinata asked again. He shook his head again.

"Just 'cause." Naruto tilted his head back and looked at the sky. He would much rather watch the stars than the clouds. He didn't really know why but he enjoyed the night sky over the day sky. Hinata just stared at Naruto in awe.

_'He wants me to be near him...'_ She saw Naruto close his eyes and his breathing started getting more relaxed, almost as if he was sleeping. When she looked closer, she saw that he was in fact sleeping. Then Hinata's eyes focused on Naruto's mask and what it hid from the world. She had seen him without once when he was still recovering from his injuries six years ago.

She was in the room when a branch member came to check on Naruto. After the branch member left, Hinata's curiosity was too much for her to handle so she slowly removed his mask and stared in awe. She thought he looked cute without the mask. The three whisker marks on each side of his face appeared odd to her but they only added to his uniqueness. She wondered why he would hide his face behind a mask but left it alone as he probably had his reasons. After she had a good look, she quickly put it on and continued to wait for Naruto to wake up.

It had been a full six years since she last saw his face, and her curiosity was starting to get the better of her again. She hesitantly raised a hand and went to remove Naruto's mask. See watched as her hand travelled to Naruto's face and it felt like an eternity watching go.

Sasuke looked on as Hinata went to remove Naruto's mask. He was also curious as to why Naruto wears a mask and what he really looks like, though he would never saw it aloud. Ever since they entered the academy, he was curious of the masked boy in his class. He was as quick and as strong as him and yet Sasuke knew that something wasn't right. It was as if Naruto was holding back, or at the least, something was holding him back and Sasuke had a feeling that the mask had something to do about that.

Hinata barely touched the fabric and a hand rapidly came up to prevent her from pulling on it. She jumped at the sudden reflex and looked at Naruto. He had one eye open and it was focused on her hand.

"What's this, a hand? And it belongs to Hinata no less." Naruto said eye smiled at her. "You know what they saw, curiosity killed the cat." Hinata took back her hand and looked down shamefully.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto-kun." Hinata apologized.

"Don't worry about it Hinata-chan. I don't mind it at all." Naruto said before going back to sleep. Hinata kept on staring until she started getting bored and fell asleep too. She unconsciously leaned her head on Naruto's shoulder and then he laid his head on top of hers. Sasuke watched the two as they slept. He remained where he first stood and sat down. His thoughts then moved to Itachi and how he hoped that Hinata wouldn't slow them down.

Naruto was up to par with him and probably wouldn't slow Sasuke down. Hinata though was another thing. Even though she was the top kunoichi in their class, he didn't know exactly how strong she was or how much work was need to make her stronger. Sasuke respected Hinata, she didn't drool over him and actually took being a kunoichi seriously. Sure she would occasionally pay more attention to Naruto but it didn't affect her learning much in the academy.

Three and half hours have passed as both Naruto and Hinata still slept and Sasuke was still in deep thought. They didn't even notice Kakashi walking up to them casually.

"Yo!" Kakashi-sensei greeted. Naruto opened an eye.

"Your late." Naruto said tiredly.

"Sorry, but I got lost in the road of life." Kakashi explained.

"Well take a map next time because we can't afford to wait for you every time you get lost." Naruto said as he yawned. He would've stretched but he felt a small amount of pressure on his left shoulder. He looked to his side and started blushing. Hinata was still peacefully sleeping on his shoulder. Naruto didn't have the heart to wake her up but the same could not be said for Kakashi. He took out an alarm clock and made it go off at that moment. Hinata slowly opened an eye and looked at the alarm that was right in her face. She lazily took it from Kakashi's hand, held it and looked at it in confusion.

_'Why am I holding an alarm clock?'_She looked to her right and saw Naruto smiling at her. She smiled back and then looked at the clock again. It took her a minute to register what she saw and where she was. She immediately sat up straight and looked in the opposite direction.

"S-Sorry N-Naruto-kun." Hinata barely got out. Naruto just laughed sheepishly.

"It's alright Hinata-chan." Kakashi held his hand out at Hinata and she gave him back the alarm. He took it and walked over to the three posts. He set the alarm and placed it on top of the middle. Naruto stood up and stretched the sleep out of his bones while he, Hinata and Sasuke walked over to the posts. "So Kakashi-sensei, what are we going to do?"

"I'm glad you asked Naruto. Now..." Kakashi said as he took out two bells out of his pocket. "Your assignment is simple; I want you to try and take the bells..." Naruto swiftly took the bells from Kakashi's hands.

"Got it." Naruto said, bored as he showed Kakashi the bells.

"Can I explain what you have to do?" Kakashi said nonchalantly while containing his surprise. Hinata and Sasuke were both amazed once again at Naruto's speed.

"You did and I got the bells." Naruto replied.

"Give it back before I fail you." Kakashi said. Naruto tossed back the bells while mumbling about doing it already.

"Thank you, now as I was saying. I want you to try and take the bells from me." Naruto sweat dropped. "I set the alarm to go off at noon. If you can't take the bells from me before then, you'll go without lunch..."

"What?"

"And, you'll be tied to those posts while you watch me eat my lunch."

_'So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast...'_

_'So then it'll be harder for us to work and be active...'_Naruto and Sasuke thought simultaneously while their stomachs grumbled.

"Uhm... Kakashi-sensei."

"Yes Hinata?" Hinata started playing with her fingers when she realized everyone was paying attention to her.

"T-There's only two bells... b-but's there's three of u-us."

"Yeah, what's with that?" Naruto asked. Kakashi chuckled, once again confusing his team.

"That way, at least one of you will be tied to the post for not completing the assignment. That one gets sent back to the academy." Team 7 just stared at each other. "Although, there's still a good chance that all three of you will fail, eat no lunch and get sent back to the academy." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

_'We were put on a team a day ago and now we're going to be competing against each other to see which one of us, if not all of us go back to the academy... Something's not right."_Naruto thought but was unable to continue the train of thought as he was brought out of them as Kakashi spoke again.

"You won't be able to take them from me if you don't come at me with the intention to kill." Kakashi's last words made Hinata uncomfortable. She knew she couldn't kill Kakashi but still didn't like the idea of coming at him with the intentions of killing him.

"Wait a minute, that's not really fair. I mean, yeah, we're not exactly intimidating but we were the top three students in the academy. You, you have a bad sense of time and have one eye. If your lack of timing doesn't affect you, then you're depth perception will." Naruto said, bored. Kakashi threw a kunai at Naruto and Naruto ducked.

"How's that for depth perception." Naruto smirked.

"Not bad." Naruto then threw his own kunai at Kakashi. Kakashi blocked it, which was exactly what he wanted. Naruto disappeared and reappeared right behind him with the sharp side of his sword placed on Kakashi's neck. Kakashi had placed his own kunai right at Naruto's neck and all this happened in the blink of an eye.

"I didn't say you can start." Kakashi said. Naruto smiled bitterly.

"Didn't know fights started with a simple 'Start'." Naruto said, a bittersweet smirk on his lips.

"They don't, but my exercise does." Kakashi and Naruto both backed up from each other. Both masked ninja's stared at each other with an understanding. "That's what I am talking about, with the intention of killing me."

"Don't worry; I'm sure we get the idea now." Sasuke said excitedly.

"How can I say this... I'm starting to like you guys." Kakashi said. "And... START!" The three genins disappeared and Kakashi just waited.

Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage and Iruka were sitting down drinking tea.

"So what did you want to talk about Iruka? I'm sure it wasn't just to drink tea with me." The Third said.

"Well Hokage-sama, I just..."

"You want to know about Naruto's jonin instructor Kakashi Hatake." The third said more than asked. Iruka was surprised that he knew but recomposed himself.

"Well yes." The Third Hokage took out a book from under the table and slid it over to Iruka. He picked it up and looked at it in wonder. "What is this for, sir?"

"This book holds a record of Kakashi's teams. Every team he's passed, every team he's failed." Iruka opened the book and started reading. He flipped the page and it read the same as the last page except with a different team. Iruka continually flipped through pages and saw one similarity for all of them; they all failed.

"Is... Is this correct Hokage-sama?" The Third just nodded. "I heard some rumors but... there weren't as bad as this."

"Kakashi might be a little hard on his team..."

"A little? Not one passed his test." Iruka retorted.

"Yes... it seems like they couldn't meet Kakashi's standards so he failed them." The Third hokage said gravely.

[*.*.*.*]

_'Well, it seems like they understand the concept of hiding and remaining quiet...'_ Kakashi thought before Naruto appeared in front of him.

"You know, compared to the others you're a little weird." Naruto ran up to Kakashi, sword ready in his hand.

"You want to talk about weird? What's up with your hair cut?" Naruto mocked gasped as he swung his sword. Kakashi took out a kunai, parried it, and pushed him back. Naruto did a back; landing four feet from Kakashi before running at him again. He swung his sword vertically and Kakashi parried this one too, but before he could do anything, Naruto grabbed his second sword and went to strike the strings that held the bells.

Kakashi wasn't expecting this, he didn't think he would actually use both swords. Kakashi jumped over Naruto and kicked him in the back. Naruto flew forward and landed in the river nearby. Naruto sank all the way to the bottom and thought out his current situation.

Up with Kakashi, he waited for his student to resurface. In their respective hiding places, Hinata and Sasuke watched in awe as Naruto took on Kakashi.

_'How strong is he?'_Sasuke thought after watching the short match.

_'Naruto-kun...'_

Soon, the air bubbles stopped appearing and Naruto jumped out. He wasted no time because as soon as he landed he sped off right at Kakashi. This time, Kakashi prepared for whatever Naruto was going to throw at him. Naruto threw one of his swords a foot from Kakashi and jumped on the hilt. Kakashi went to cut Naruto's leg by a horizontal swing with his kunai but Naruto jumped over him using his momentum, landed behind Kakashi, and kicked him in the back. Kakashi would've been flying just as Naruto had but instead he poofed out of existence.

"A clone? But it was solid... A shadow clone." Naruto deducted. Naruto walked over to his sword and picked it up. He sheathed both swords and looked at a tree to his left. "When we pass this test, will you teach me that jutsu Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi jumped from his spot and eye smiled at Naruto.

"Maybe... that is, if you pass." Naruto smirked at his challenged and disappeared into the trees. Suddenly, three kunai and two shuriken appeared from one of the trees and impacted with Kakashi.

_'Got him...'_ Sasuke thought before Kakashi turned into a log. _'Damn... He probably knows where I am!'_ Sasuke came out of his hiding place and stopped when he heard a yell. _'That sounded like Hinata.'_ Sasuke then heard a bell sound behind him so he turned around to see Kakashi leaning on a tree.

"Well, standing out in the open is pretty dangerous for a ninja, don't you think so Sasuke?" He reached for something in his pocket. Sasuke prepared himself for anything. What he took out shocked him; it was Icha Icha Paradise.

"Why did you take out a book?" Sasuke asked, disappointed in his sensei.

"Hmm? So I can find out what happens next." Sasuke then threw more shuriken at Kakashi. Something told Kakashi to take Sasuke seriously and be more prepared so he put his book away as he dodged. Sasuke then threw a kunai at a tree where it cut a rope to set off the trap. "A trap..." Kakashi also dodged the kunai thrown from the trap and then Sasuke appeared behind him.

Sasuke sent a left round house kick to Kakashi's face, which he blocked and held. Then Sasuke twisted his body and threw a left hook which was also caught. He turned himself vertically to send a stronger right kick to Kakashi's head. Kakashi also blocked this one. Sasuke smirked as he went to get the bells. Kakashi noticed this and backed away before Sasuke took the bells.

"Interesting... You were close." Kakashi said. Sasuke smirked as he made hand signs.

"I'm not done yet." Sasuke finished his hand signs much to Kakashi's disbelief.

_'No way, that's a high level fire jutsu for a genin. I doubt he could actually pull it off...'_

_'__**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!'**_ Sasuke thought as he launched a fireball at Kakashi's direction. It burned all grass that it came in contact with and when he was done, Sasuke couldn't spot his sensei.

_'Crap, where is he? To my left, my right... on top...'_ A hand shot off the ground, grabbed Sasuke by the leg and forced him into the ground until he was only neck deep in the ground. _'Right under me...'_

"Well Sasuke, I am impressed, you are good in ninjutsu but Naruto beat you in the taijutsu. Hmm, now that I think about it, Hinata's the only one I haven't fought against..." Kakashi stood up and took out his book. "You be a good little boy and stay right there." Kakashi was about to go to find Hinata when Nartuo appeared and kicked Kakashi in the ribs.

Kakashi flew into the woods and Naruto followed him. Sasuke growled at the thought of Naruto being better than him at something. Then he heard bushes moving and looked at them. He saw Hinata jump out and run to him.

"Hinata?" She just placed a finger on her lips to tell him to stay quiet. She then helped Sasuke get out of the ground. When she finished, she motioned him to follow her.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto was fighting Kakashi one-on-one, without his swords. Even though he knew he could probably do better with them, he had a better use for them. He knew he was no match for his sensei. He might be quicker and stronger than most, but Naruto knew Kakashi was simply better. After their first confrontation, Naruto knew Kakashi would've killed him before Naruto could get his sword to touch Kakashi's neck.

Now however, Naruto wasn't trying to beat Kakashi, just distract him. Kakashi just starred at Naruto warily. He wondered why he wasn't using his swords that he usually used. In fact, he noticed that one of his swords was missing. He also wondered why Naruto would continually fight him head on if he already knew it was pointless.

Before Kakashi could continue his thought, Naruto actually got a hit on Kakashi. He sent a hard kick to Kakashi's sternum and he went flying through the woods. When he landed, he noticed that he was in a small clearing. He looked around and saw one of Naruto's swords lying on the ground.

"So that's where I left it..." Naruto said when he entered the clearing and continued his assault on Kakashi. Kakashi decided to end it and shoved Naruto back. While he had his attention away from her, Hinata jumped out of her hiding place and closed all the chakra points in Kakashi's left arm. He was surprised at the sudden ambush but Kakashi moved away before she could close anymore chakra points.

He felt his left arm go numb and saw that Sasuke went to take advantage of this. Sasuke once again tried the fireball jutsu and it made Kakashi jump back until he was right next to one of Naruto's sword. Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata all took out shuriken and Kunai to throw at Kakashi.

He checked his pouch to see if he had any to deflect them, but grimaced when he found out he didn't. He looked down and took Naruto's sword. Team 7 threw their weapons and Kakashi was able to deflect them. He eye smiled at their team work and attempt to trap him.

"Nice team work, but you still didn't get the bells." Kakashi said confidently. Naruto eye smiled right back.

"Who says the test is over?" Kakashi then heard a hissing sound. He looked down and saw an explosive tag attached to the sword. "Boom." Naruto said before the sword exploded. The explosion caused the whole training spot to shake, its sound echoing through the woods. Naruto came out from behind a tree with Hinata in his arms. She was blushing but grateful. She would have been caught in the blast if it wasn't for Naruto.

Sasuke jumped into the blown up clearing after Naruto and Hinata came out as well. Then they heard the alarm clock go out. Naruto walked into the smouldering crater the blast created and picked something up. It was small, round and black and he tossed it to Sasuke and Hinata. They both looked at it in confusion.

"Just hold on to it." Naruto said before heading for the three posts. Hinata and Sasuke followed him, still confused about the black balls Naruto gave them. When they arrived, they saw Kakashi leaning on the middle post. He held his hand high.

"Yo..."

"Hey..." Naruto replied back while seating in front of the middle post and leaning back on it. Before he could blink he was tied to the post. "What the..."

"Sorry but you didn't get the bell. Neither did you two, did you?" Before anyone could answer, Naruto answered for them.

"Of course they did, what do you think the black ball in their hands are?" Kakashi, Hinata and Sasuke all held surprised expressions on their face. "Yup, you see, I knew you would've survived the blast but the same could not be said for the bells. The trap wasn't so much as to trap you or kill you, it was to blow the bells away from you." Naruto explained while Kakashi checked his person to look for his bells. He was shocked to see that he didn't have them.

"So it seems. Still it looks like you won't have lunch Naruto." Kakashi said. "And you'll have to go back to the academy." Naruto shrugged. "Now, since you two have the bells, you can have lunch. But, I don't want you to give any of it to Naruto, that's an order. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to report this to the Hokage." Kakashi disappeared in a whirl of leaves and left the remaining members of team 7 and Naruto alone. They started eating their lunch, well Sasuke was, Hinata was playing with hers.

"Something wrong Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked when he noticed Hinata not eating her lunch.

"W-Well, it's just... you l-look hungry..."

"M-Me? No, don't worry about me Hina..." Naruto was interrupted by his stomach's grumbling. He sweat dropped while he laughed nervously. "Looks like I've been caught."

"Here." Sasuke said as he offered his food.

"What?" Naruto was surprised Sasuke offered some of his food.

"I-It's ok Sasuke, you look hungry and I-I don't really feel l-like eating. You can have mine Naruto-kun." Hinata offered her food to Naruto but he didn't take it.

"W-Whats wrong Naruto-kun?"

"Well, the thing is... I'm still tied to the post." He admitted sheepishly.

"Oh right, stupid me..."

"You're not stupid Hinata-chan... you're smart and pretty..."Naruto stopped before he turned it into a confession. _'Crap!'_ "Uhm... well, Hinata-chan, would you feed it to me?" Naruto asked not wanting to give her time to realize what he said.

_'P-Pretty... me?'_ Hinata nodded her head and went to feed him.

"Wait..." Naruto turned his head; Hinata just looked at him, puzzled. "Uhm... I don't want to take my mask off." Naruto confessed. Hinata smiled warmly, understanding what he meant, stood up and sat back down in between him and Sasuke. Naruto smiled at her idea and she pulled down the mask. It took all her will power not to faint or at least stare at his face. It was just as she remembered but a lot older and cuter.

Naruto was happy he was to be able to eat, he was starving. Though he had seen the look Hinata gave him; if he didn't know any better, she looked at him like his face was familiar to her, almost like she's seen it before. Then he felt someone watching in the bushes across from them, so he quickly cut the rope with his sword that was hidden behind the post and with a free hand he pulled his mask back over his face.

"I. TOLD. YOU. NOT. TO. FEED. HIM!" Kakashi came into the clearing with the impression that he wasn't happy.

"Well what did you expect? I was hungry; she was worried and fed me. We were teammates for the last twenty four hours and that is the least a teammate can do!" Naruto yelled back. "Did you expect her to sit back, enjoy her lunch and watch me suffer? I don't think so! That is not a team and if you expected us to be like that then I'm glad I'm going to the academy. Maybe then I'll get a sensei who isn't vague, actually shows up on time and doesn't make their team compete against each other!"

"Well then maybe you should go." Kakashi said calmly. Naruto started walking and soon, Hinata and Sasuke followed him. "Where are you two going?"

"Back to the academy." Sasuke said casually.

"What, why?"

"Because Kakashi-sensei, Naruto-kun is our teammate. If he goes back to the academy, then we go with him. We wouldn't have it any other way." Hinata said, her stuttering nowhere to be heard. Sasuke just nodded in agreement. Naruto felt happy that his teammates cared.

"Well then I guess you three... pass." Everyone was surprised by this.

"THE HELL?" Naruto yelled.

"Yup, you pass. You are now officially team 7." Kakashi said. After they got over their shock, Sasuke smirked while Naruto hugged Hinata and spun her around. She did blush but was too happy to faint. When he put her down, Naruto put Sasuke in a headlock.

"You hear that Sasuke, we're a team now!" Sasuke was happy but Naruto was starting to take it away. Naruto let him go, he felt like he was pushing it with Sasuke.

"Just one thing..." Kakashi said, momentarily stopping team 7's celebration. "Did you actually know that you had to work together?" Team 7 nodded their heads. "How?

"Oh... well it went back to when Hinata-chan screamed."

_**[*.*.Flash Back.*.*]**_

_**"Ahh!"**_

_**"Hinata-chan, shh! Relax, it's me, Naruto." Naruto said trying to calm Hinata down.**_

_**"O-Oh, sorry." Hinata apologized.**_

_**"Well, I'll make this quick since Kakashi-sensei might have heard that." Naruto grabbed a stick and transformed it to look like one of his swords. Then he put an explosive tag on it and wrapped it around the grip. "Ok, here's what I want you to do: get this sword and place at the end of a clearing that's twenty meters from here. Place it there and give it enough chakra so that it'll explode fifteen minutes from now. After that, meet me back here."**_

_**"W-Wait, w-why are you doing this? More specifically, why d-do you need my h-help?" Hinata asked.**_

_**"Didn't you noticed something weird about this exercise?" Hinata shook her head. "Well, what is the point of putting us in a team? To make us work together as a team. Now think about it, what was the point of being in a team if Kakashi-sensei's just going to pit us against each other?" Understanding dawned on Hinata's face."By the look on you face you seem to understand now."**_

_**"Yes, it's a test to see if we're willing to work together."**_

_**"Exactly. I mean, do you think a genin could stand a chance against a jonin. I don't even think all three of us could take on Kakashi-sensei. He purposely pitted us against each other to see if we were willing to put our differences aside and work together even though we knew that one of us would end up going back to the academy after all was said and done."**_

_**"That's brilliant Naruto-kun." Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head.**_

_**"Now go, we don't have much time left. Oh and take this..." Naruto gave Hinata one of his swords. "And place it behind the middle post." He saw the questioning stare she gave him. "Just... you'll see."**_

_**Hinata nodded, sent a little bit of chakra into the explosive tag and went to go put it where Naruto told her to. When she finished, she regrouped with Naruto and then they both went to see how Sasuke was doing. He was looking around for something and then a hand shot out of the ground and buried him into it.**_

_**"OK, I'm going to lead Kakashi-sensei into the clearing, I want you to bury Sasuke out of the ground, take him to the clearing you placed the sword in and then wait for a good time to ambush him. Tell Sasuke the plan and good luck." Naruto said before he jumped out of his hiding spot and kicked Kakashi into the woods. Hinata ran to bury Sasuke out when she saw Naruto head after Kakashi.**_

_**"Hinata?" Sasuke said. Hinata placed a finger on her lips to let him know to be quiet. When she buried him out and motioned him to follow her. "What's going on Hinata?"**_

_**"Naruto set up a trap for Kakashi-sensei and we're going to help him."**_

_**"Why? Aren't we all competing against each other?" Sasuke asked.**_

_**"That's what I thought too, but Naruto-kun explained it to me. The point is to work together. This exercise is to see if we're willing to work together."**_

_**"That makes sense." Sasuke said. Then they heard the sounds of punches and kicks making contact on skin.**_

_**"Come on there this way."**_

_**[*.*.Flash Back.*.*]**_

"Very clever Naruto." Kakashi praised.

"It wasn't too hard to figure out once you got the basic idea."

"Still, very good team work. I'm proud to say that you all pass. A ninja must see through deception, 'underneath the underneath' if you will. In the ninja world, those who brakes the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

"That's how I see it." Naruto said. "So, when do we get our first mission?"

"Tomorrow, now take the day off, you guys deserve it!" Kakashi said as he turned and walked away. Sasuke decided to go home and train. Naruto was about to head home when Hinata stopped him.

"Naruto-kun..."

"Hmm? What's up Hinata-chan?" Hinata didn't answer, she was too deep in thought.

"Do... do you really think I'm... p-pretty?" She asked timidly. Naruto tensed up and his mind froze.

_'Great, she had to remember.'_

"W-Well yeah." He answered back as he rubbed the back of his head. Then he remembered something.

"Say, Hianta-chan, when you were feeding me, you saw my face right?" Hinata blushed at the memory of his face, she nodded since she didn't think she would be able to talk. "Well, it kind of look like you saw my face before."

"R-Really?"

_'Oh no, he's getting suspicious._..'

"Yeah..."

"W-Well, y-you see..." An orange blur suddenly ran passed them and it caught Naruto's attention. Hinata did seem to notice but seemed to stop for some reason.

"Don't worry about Hinata-chan... Well, I gotta go, I have a feeling Miyu's got herself in trouble. But don't worry about it, it's nothing too big, it never is." Naruto then disappeared, following after Miyu. Hinata stood there for a second, after which she decided to go home.

_'Damn it Miyu, bad timing.'_Naruto ran quickly and soon caught up with Miyu who stopped in an empty clearing. She was barking at something in the trees. Naruto picked up Miyu and she barked a short message to Naruto. Naruto didn't really know how to speak fox but he did know each one meant something, and this one meant that there was someone dangerous around.

Naruto set Miyu back on the floor and took out his swords. He got into his stance and waited for the person to show themself.

"Whoever you are, it's no use hiding, I know you're out there!" Naruto warned.

"Maybe, but where?" A cold voice said behind him and his reflexes kicked in. He swung his sword back to slice the person but whoever it was disappeared. "Nice reflexes. If I didn't know how fast you were, you probably would've hit me." The voice was now in front of him.

"Just who are you?" Naruto asked the man in the black cloak and red clouds. The man looked up to show Naruto his Sharingan eye.

"My name? You don't know who I am?" Naruto gave him a calculating stare. He knew of the Uchiha Massacre and that there was only two Uchihas left and one of them went home so this one was...

"Itachi Uchiha."

"It seems you do. Now, as for this one..." Itachi stepped to the left to reveal some one behind him. It was a girl, she had her eyes closed and appeared to be unconscious. However, she wasn't an ordinary girl, not to Naruto.

"HINATA-CHAN...!" Hinata didn't move, she didn't even make a sound.

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**That's it, don't forget to review!**

**Next Chapter: Who's this? What does he want?**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	6. Who's this and what does he want?

**Hey there! Here's chapter 6...**

**I'm updating pretty fast but that soon might stop since school is around the corner for me... But now, enjoy the speed of the updates...**

**On an unrelated note, has anyone been up to speed with the Bleach manga? Isn't it awesome? I never would've thought they'd show up!**

**Also, thank you to all who reviewed for my story! Makes me feel like I accomplished something! Please keep reviewing and don't think that advice, constructive criticism or personal opinions bother me, they don't. They let me see what I'm doing wrong or might be able to change the way I see my story going which isn't necessarily a bad thing... And for all bleach fans, you know how Kenpachi's smiles are usually sinister looking? Try picturing Naruto with Kenpachi's smile when you read about him with a sinister smile, thanks!  
**

**Anyways enjoy the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

_Last time on__Naruto of the Immortal Clan__..._

_"My name? You don't know who I am?" Naruto gave him a calculating stare. He knew of the Uchiha Massacre and that there was only two Uchihas left and one of them went home so this one was..._

_"Itachi Uchiha."_

_"It seems you do. Now, as for this one..." Itachi stepped to the left to reveal some one behind him. It was a girl, she had her eyes closed and appeared to be unconscious. However, she wasn't an ordinary girl, not to Naruto._

_"HINATA-CHAN...!" Hinata didn't move, she didn't even make a sound._

[*.*.*.*]

"Don't worry about her now, she's the least of your problems." Itachi warned vaguely. Naruto just growled.

"Hinata-chan's not the least of my worries? Are you serious? She's important to me and you're going to have the gull to tell me that?" Naruto asked angrily. Itachi closed his eyes in concentration. Naruto knew that he wouldn't get anywhere if he was just yelling so he tried to calm down, for Hinata's sake. "So, what do you want traitor?"

"Your words hurt, Uzumaki..." Itachi disappeared and then held a kunai to Naruto's neck. "But actions kill." Itachi said, his voice calm and unwavering. He was fully prepared to stab the kunai through his neck, but Naruto wasn't scared. He knew Itachi wanted something from him that needed him to be alive. If Itachi wanted him dead, he would've done so already. Naruto has heard of the infamous Itachi and knew that he wouldn't be so subtle with a kill.

"What is it that you want?" Naruto said equally calm. Itachi smirked and went back across the clearing, right in front of Hinata's motionless body. Itachi lightly picked her up and threw her. She landed with a sickening thud and remained still. Naruto's eyes widened at the sudden action, then closed them as he felt Kyuubi's chakra starting to escape.

"I want to see what you're capable of." Itachi said calmly even after seeing Kyuubi's chakra start to wrap around Naruto. Naruto quickly went from being on the opposite side of the clearing to Itaci's face in less than a blink of an eye. He slashed Itachi in the left leg before Itachi reacted.

Itachi jumped back before the attack could do serious damage, though he did leave a shallow cut on his leg. It was nothing to serious but he didn't think Naruto would actually land a hit on him.

"Impressive, I have to say... that was unexpected." Itachi's nonchalant attitude was starting to annoy Naruto, but Naruto already had a plan to stop that.

"There's a saying that I think applies very well to this situation..." Naruto raised his swords overhead and crossed them. "Expect..." Red chakra started wrapping around Naruto's two swords until they were compressed against the blade. Itachi's eye's widened at the sudden killer intent and the amount of chakra and power behind Naruto's attack. "... the unexpected! **Demon Art: Slicing Chakra Invocation!**"

Naruto forcefully swung both swords down, releasing the compressed chakra while on its trip down. The red chakra burst off his swords and headed for Itachi in a big "X". Itachi jumped at the last minute and barely avoided being hit. His cloak was sliced and the red chakra started to feed off it. Itachi took it off and stared at it with wide eyes as the cloak started to be burned by the red chakra. In fact, when Itachi looked at the area the attack impacted with, he could see the attack was still going. The grass that the chakra touched died and soon, only a huge "X" was left.

"Pay attention, I'm not done!" Itachi turned around to see Naruto running at him, swords crossed and chakra in place. At the last minute, Naruto jumped in the air as Itachi readied his own attack.

"**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!**" Demonic chakra or not, Itachi knew that it would take a lot of chakra to block this move. Naruto quickly sent his attack at Itachi's fireball.

"**Demon Art: Slicing Chakra Invocation!**" Itachi was for the fourth time surprised by Naruto as his attack didn't block his, but instead went through it. Naruto just harmlessly jumped through the hole his attack created.

_'This boy is amazing. Not only does his speed exceed a Chunin maybe even jonin, but he can use the Kyuubi's chakra while still in control of his actions. It seems I have made the right choice. However, I still need to see how far I can push him._' Itachi though as he dodged Naruto's latest attack. Naruto really was full of surprises. He had been able to not only release the foxes chakra from his swords, he was able to use the chakra to extend his swords' reach. And aside from that, if his taijutsu was better than it currently is, he would've been able to land a hit on Itachi while his hands were covered with fox fire.

"It seems I underestimated you Uzumaki, a deadly mistake." Itachi said. Even though he is better than Itachi thought, Naruto still wouldn't be able to defeat Itachi. They both knew this, it was as clear as day. "Uzumaki, why do you continue to fight even though you are clearly out matched?"

Naruto didn't respond. He was still angry about what Itachi did to Hinata.

"Is it because of the girl?" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare get her involved in this! This is between you and me!" He replied with venom.

"She can get involved; it's a simple matter of her being in the right place... at the wrong time." Itachi said threateningly. "Not only her, but the entire village. There are much stronger ninjas than me out there, waiting to take advantage of the weak and corrupted people that inhabit this hateful village. Even though there are exceptional few in here, they aren't being properly trained. They are either shunned or ignored by their own villagers..." Itachi was looking at Naruto as he said the last part but then looked at Hinata's motionless form. "Or by their own family. The simple question you need to answer Naruto is, are you willing to face these powerful ninjas when the time comes even though you know you don't stand a chance?"

"Where are you going with this Uchiha?" Naruto asked. Even though he's only been a ninja for forty-eight hours, he already understood the concept of looking 'underneath the underneath'. From what he gathered, Itachi was warning him of other ninjas who want to destroy his home.

"What I'm saying is that a day will come when an imposing ninja will arrive to destroy the Hidden Leaf. Are you going to be the one in the fight or in the back watching others fight for you?"

"I will be the one fighting."

"But you're clearly out matched. So how will you fight if you'll only be blown away?"

"I'll get stronger..." Naruto started saying but Itachi continued before he could finish.

"How?" Naruto didn't answer him. He knew he could become stronger by training hard and learning from his senseis. But Itachi is strong, probably stronger than most, if not everyone in the village. Now he says that there are ninja's stronger than him and a day will come when they will threaten his home. If no one is stronger than Itachi, than how would they fair against someone stronger than Itachi?

Naruto had calmed down considerably since the beginning of the fight. His thoughts were clear and considerate.

"I... I don't know..." Itachi took a step closer to Naruto but stopped when he saw Naruto's grip on his sword tighten.

"That's why I am willing to properly train you." Itachi said. Naruto looked at Itachi in the eye, trying to see the deception through his words. To his surprise, he saw no deception or trick, just honesty and determination.

"Why? Didn't you kill your own family? Why should I trust you?" Naruto said, going into his stance.

"I did and their death was needed. It's a long story, one that would need a lot of explaining. What I can tell you is that I did it for the village." Naruto saw the pain and honesty in Itachi's eyes. Naruto got out of his stance but didn't sheathe his swords. He trusted Itachi now, but only to a certain extent.

"Alright, I don't believe you're lying. But as soon as you double cross me or the village then I'll guarantee you'll be hearing from me and my swords." Itachi nodded and walked over to Naruto. He held out his hand and Naruto hesitantly took it.

Then Naruto punched Itachi in the face. Itachi wasn't expecting this but was sure of the reason why he did it.

"There are other ways of telling me to get stronger. You didn't need to bring Hinata-chan into this." Naruto said trying to suppress his anger. Itachi stood up and looked at Hinata. Naruto looked at her as well and she suddenly poofed.

"I didn't bring her into this; it was merely a shadow clone." Itachi explained. Naruto chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh..." Naruto then decided to get serious. "By the way, about those stronger ninjas..."

"Another time Naruto, if I am to train you, then I should start today."

"Why today?"

"Because today will be the only day in the next seven days that'll I'll be able to train you."

"Why's that?" Naruto asked.

"I am working under cover with a group of missing-nin who plan to gather all jinchuuriki to extract the bijuu sealed in them. You are on their list but they will come to get you in a period of three to four years so you have plenty of time to prepare. I'm currently supposed to be scouting for bijuus and their jinchuurikis. They release me once every week. During those times, I will come to this exact spot for the same day every week to train you. Do you understand?"

"It's a lot to take in but yeah." Naruto replied. He wondered when and why his life started getting complicated.

"Since you seem to understand, let's begin. First I want you to climb a tree..." Itachi felt a sudden rush a wind and saw Naruto already up a tree.

"Finished!" Naruto yelled from the top. Itachi motioned him to join him so Naruto jumped down.

"I want you to climb a tree without your hands." Itachi finished explaining. Naruto just gave him a confused expression.

"How?"

"Simple..." Itachi focused some chakra into the soles of his feet and started walking up the tree. To say Naruto was impressed was an understatement. "Like this. This training involves focusing a fixed amount of chakra to the bottom of your feet, and using that to climb a tree without using your hands. If the stream of chakra is too weak you will lose your footing on the tree and fall off. If it is too strong the bark of the tree will break and you will fall. Now then, now that I explained it, it's up to you to complete it." Naruto nodded his head and went to try the tree climbing exercise.

Hours have passed and Naruto was starting to get the hang of the exercise. He almost got to the top but he would suddenly apply to much chakra and blast himself off the tree. It was around ten o'clock, Naruto was about to try again when Itachi stopped him.

"That's enough, you are doing well enough with that. Now it's time for the second portion of your training." Itachi took out a scroll and lays it out in front of Naruto. "This, Naruto, is a summoning scroll. I want you to sign your name in it with your blood."

"Summoning scroll? Sign with my blood?" Itachi nodded his head.

"Yes, you need to sign your name here in the summon scroll with your blood." Naruto just nodded and pricked his thumb, then signed his name. When he was done, Itachi explained the summoning in more detail.

"To summon one of the animals, you need to have blood on you hands, make the appropriate hand signs and put a certain amount of chakra into it depending on the animal you wish to summon. For example, you'd put only a little bit into the summoning if you want to summon a small creature. You would also use a large amount of you wish to summon advance animals." Naruto nodded in understanding until he had a thought.

"What animal did I sign for?"

"I'll show you the hand signs so you can do it and find out." Itachi showed Naruto the necessary hand signs and Naruto learned them quickly. He then pricked his thumb again and started making the hand signs. He slammed his hand on the floor and yelled,

"**Summoning Jutsu!**" Smoke appeared and clouded Naruto's vision. When it dispersed, Naruto looked down and sweat dropped. "A tiger cub?"

"Sorry Naruto but like I said, what you summon depends on the amount of chakra you put behind it." Itachi explained, sweat dropping as well.

"Alright then, I'll try this again." Naruto continually tried to summon larger tigers but didn't succeed much. He managed to summon tigers that were at least two years old. It was around midnight when Itachi told Naruto to stop.

"I have to leave soon, but before I go I have something to tell you. I want you to look after my little brother." Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

"Look after him? He's a very capable ninja, what's he need me for?"

"He may be very strong and competent, that's not what I meant. He's heading down the wrong path. Because of my actions, he is traveling the path of an avenger, which is not the path for him. I hope one day he can kill me to bring some honor back to the Uchiha, but I don't want it to consume him, not this way." Naruto looked down at his feet. He's never really thought of Sasuke like that.

"Alright, I'll try." Itachi bowed his head before he left.

"Thank you Naruto." Itachi disappeared in the darkness and Naruto turned to walk home.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto's been busy for the last month. He's practicing summoning and has gotten a full grown tiger to appear. He was happy to be finally be able to summon an adult tiger. The training Itachi gave him was insane; every time they finished, Naruto was close to chakra exhaustion. Additionally, he had been doing D-rank missions along with team exercises that Kakashi had them do. It took some time but Naruto finally convinced Kakashi to teach him the shadow clone jutsu. It took Naruto two hours to learn and perfect it. Kakashi was surprised by his progress so he invited his team to lunch. So now, at nine p.m, they were eating at Ichiraku's. They would've eaten somewhere else but Sasuke didn't really care and Hinata was too shy to actually voice her opinion.

"Yum! Thanks Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said before grabbing his fourteenth bowl of ramen. Sasuke and Hinata only ate one each; they were not as obsessed about ramen as Naruto was. Hinata watched from the corner of her eye Naruto eat his ramen at inhuman speed. Even though Naruto had to pull his mask down to eat the ramen, his face was usually inside the bowl. When he finished, the mask would already be up before, he put the bowl down.

Naruto put his twenty-second bowl down and patted his stomach.

"Thanks for treating us." Naruto said happily. Kakashi laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's the thing..." Kakashi then poofed and disappeared from the area. Sasuke took this as a sign to leave, he didn't want to pay for all that food. Naruto noticed both Sasuke and Kakashi were gone. He got mad and swore to get those two back someday. Then he heard shuffling next to him, he looked up and saw that Hinata was taking out her money. Naruto's hand immediately stopped her from continuing.

"Don't worry about it Hinata-chan, I got it." Naruto took out his wallet and looked for the money. He started panicking when he noticed he didn't even have enough to pay for one bowl. Hinata noticed his expression and started looking for her money. Naruto felt bad that she was going to pay for it but was also glad because if they didn't have enough money they would have to...

"Eep!" Hinata squealed. Naruto didn't like the sound of that.

"What happened Hinata-chan?"

"W-Well... I-I... I-I'm sorry Naruto-kun..." Hinata showed Naruto a small grey fox wallet and showed only enough money for three bowls.

"B-But you're from a rich clan! H-How don't you have enough! That doesn't matter... do you know what this means?" Hinata shook her head and watched Naruto's eyes lose some of its happiness. "I got to wash dishes." An apron, sponge and yellow gloves appeared on Naruto's lap while Teuchi laughed.

"That's right Naruto, not get to cleaning!" Teuchi said. Naruto hung his head in defeat as he walked to the back.

"I'll see you later Hinata-chan..." Naruto started cleaning two bowls before he saw two more hands in gloves help him with the dishes. He looked to his left and saw Hinata with the same apron and gloves. "Hinata-chan?"

"W-Well, I did eat too and I-I can't let you clean a-all these dishes alone." She said shyly but unwaveringly. Naruto looked at her in awe before smiling and cleaning the dishes. They decided to share the job. Hinata would clean the dishes and Naruto would dry and put them away. Naruto was starting to get a little bored. He was glad Hinata was with him, but he knew that they could also have fun while cleaning.

Naruto suddenly had a mischievous smile on his face while he picked up the soapy sponge. Hinata noticed the sponge was gone and was about to ask Naruto if he'd seen it but stopped. Everyone that knew Naruto well enough would know a smiling Naruto with his hand behind his back was never a good thing.

"N-Naruto-kun... what are you up to?" Naruto's smile never left his face as he shook his head.

"Nothing, just looking for the sponge. Here it is." Naruto still had a hand behind his back as he gave Hinata the sponge. Hinata took the sponge while warily looking at Naruto.

"Thank you." Hinata turned around to clean the dishes, when she suddenly felt something wet land her head. She reached up and touched the wet substance. She took it off her head and saw that it was a sponge. She looked at the sponge in her hands and one of them turned into a spoon. Naruto's smile widened at his clever idea.

"W-Why N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata turned around and Naruto saw that she was crying. He suddenly felt bad and wished he hadn't thrown the sponge at Hinata.

"I-I'm sorry Hinata-chan..."

"A-All I did was h-help you and you throw a s-sponge at me?" Hinata said, trying to stop her tears. Naruto walked to Hinata and hugged her.

"I didn't mean AHH!" Naruto felt something wet enter the back of his shirt and then heard Hinata start giggling.

"Apology accepted." Hinata said as he removed the sponge she placed on Naruto's back. Naruto pouted at her and Hinata giggled some more. "I-Is there something that I can do for you Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked innocently. Naruto's pout turned into another mischievous smile. Hinata felt her own smile lessen as he walked closer to her.

"Oh yeah, there's something that I need you to do." Naruto said while walking closer, making Hinata take a step back. She wasn't scared of him, but what he'd do to her as pay back.

"N-Now Naruto-kun, w-we still h-have dishes..." Hinata reminded Naruto until she fell back and sat in a bucket of water. Naruto stopped walking and started laughing.

"Ok Hinata-chan..." Naruto felt sudden killer intent and saw Hinata stand up with the bucket of water in her hands, her bangs covered her eyes. "Y-You know what Hinata-chan, you're right, we still have dishes to clean." Hinata just shook her head. Screaming could be heard all over the village, followed by compromises, water movement, and awkward moment between the two, and dishes breaking. By the time anyone bothered to stop them, half the dirty dishes were already destroyed. Teuchi just starred in horror as Naruto ran away from Hinata who had two sponges full of soap and water and watched as two more dishes fall to the floor.

"That's it; leave now before you break more dishes!" Naruto and Hinata stopped and mid-step as Teuchi yelled. Naruto let the sponge he was holding drop and Hinata accidently pushed another bowl from the counter, making it shatter as it made contact with the floor. Now it was Naruto and Hinata running away from Teuchi as he threatened to banish them from the ramen shop.

Naruto ducked as Teuchi threw one last chopstick. Naruto could almost swear Teuchi was a ninja because his accuracy with a chopstick was scary. Naruto looked at how soapy he was and then how soapy Hinata was. She seemed to be doing the same because when they made eye contact, they both started laughing.

"You should see yourself..." Naruto said in between laughs.

"Y-You should too..." Hinata also said when she caught her breath. They walked all the way to Hinata's house and didn't realize it until they were right outside her fence. "I-I didn't even realize where we were going." Hinata said after they both stopped laughing.

"Me either." Naruto said. They looked at each other in the eyes, both feeling a sudden warmness inside themselves. Naruto felt like his heart was going to explode and Hinata felt like she was going to faint at any second. Naruto realized that Hinata seemed to be getting closer, then that he was moving closer to her as well. There faces were mere inches away from each other before they heard a door open. Naruto immediately back up and wondered what possessed him to do what he was about to do. Hinata was having a similar thought.

"Hinata-sama..." Neji suddenly appeared at the front door looking at Hinata and Naruto with a sense of superiority.

"Y-Yes?" Hinata replied. Naruto never got a chance to get to know Neji but he knew he didn't really want to.

"Hey Neji..." Naruto said casually.

"Your father has been looking for you." Neji said solemnly, ignoring Naruto's greeting.

"Bastard..." Naruto whispered, but Neji caught it.

"What?" Neji accused.

"You heard that?" Naruto said confused.

"Of course, I'm not deaf..."

"So that means you heard my greeting as well. It _is_ rude to ignore a greeting you know. And I thought you were raised better." Neji moved quickly as he sent a chakra powered open palm to Naruto's chest. Naruto flew back until he fell back on the sidewalk. He didn't move or breathe as far as Hinata could see.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, barely containing her tears. Then both Hyugas' eyes widened when Naruto suddenly poofed. Neji then felt something cold touch his neck.

"Becareful, one false move and it could be the end of you." Neji tensed up for a minute before relaxing when he felt Naruto remove his sword from his neck. Neji scoffed and went into the house.

"I-I have to go now N-Naruto-kun." Naruto noticed Hinata's sad expression.

"Sure, of course. I had fun today Hinata-chan... especially with the little water war." Naruto said, glad his mask was hiding his blush, Hinata though, was not so fortunate. Both of them clearly remembered the little incident during the water war. Neither would say aloud but they were glad it happened.

"M-Me too."

"Well, goodnight Hinata-chan, see you tomorrow." Naruto waved as he started walking home. Hinata watched him as he left. At the same time, both had the same thought.

_'I will tell you someday Hinata-chan/Naruto-kun.'_

[*.*.*.*]

Three shadows followed a smaller shadow as it dashed through the woods.

"Sasuke, I'm at point B."

"Hinata, I'm at point C."

"..."

"Naruto, where are you Naruto?"

"What?"

"Are you at your point yet?" Kakashi asked through the radio.

"The hell are you talking about?" Hinata and Sasuke both sweat dropped.

"Are you near the damn cat?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh the cat, right... I already caught the little demon." Hinata and Sasuke blinked rapidly.

"T-Then what are we trying to c-catch?" Hinata questioned.

"Miyu..."

"Why should we waste our time trying to catch your fox?"

"Because, it stole my mask and won't give it... Guys? GUYS?" Hinata and Sasuke were running through the woods looking for Miyu. Even though Hinata has already seen him without it, she was kind of hoping of seeing his face again. Sasuke just wanted to see the mystery that is Naruto Uzumaki. They both spotted Miyu at the same time, both leapt and tried to catch her. Miyu's instincts kick in and jumped out of the way.

"There you are." Naruto said as he caught Miyu. Sasuke and Hinata both looked up after landing painfully. They saw a masked Naruto eye smiling at them.

"I thought you said she stole you mask." Sasuke said with irritation evident in his voice.

"She did, so I went home and got another one." He bent down to get closer to them. "I have more than one you know."

After the capture both Tora the cat and Miyu, Team 7 headed for the Hokage tower for a debriefing. Since the cat would assualt everyone but Hinata, they all agreed that she would carry the 'demon' as Naruto would call it. When they entered the Hokage's office, Tora immediately tried to escape once again. Hinata tried to calm Tora but she wouldn't stop moving. Seeing that they wouldn't get anywhere, Naruto hit a pressure point and put the cat out. Tora was safely returned to the Daimayo's wife and Team 7 completed another D-rank mission.

"Now then, let's see. Team 7, your next mission is either babysitting the chief councilor's three year old, helping his wife do the shopping, picking up potatoes..."

"Hokage-sama?"

"Hmm? Yes Naruto?"

"As much as I'd love to do all those exciting missions, how about a better mission, a C-rank mission?" Naruto asked/pleaded.

"I agree, we need something challenging." Sasuke said, backing up Naruto. Hinata nodded her head and Kakashi hung his head.

_'I should've expected this.'_

"How dare you! You are genin with no experience. Like genin before you, you will do D-rank missions until the Hokage sees you competent enough to handle a C-rank mission." Iruka yelled. He was helping the Hokage hand out mission.

"So you're saying that we're not competent enough to handle a simple C-rank mission?" Naruto accused. Before Iruka could retaliate, The Third spoke.

"Naruto, it seems that you still don't understand so I'll explain it to you. Every day we are sent various requests, from simple babysitting to assassinations. We read, record, analyse and label the requests as either A, B, C, or D-rank missions; depending on their difficulty. Like the request, ninjas are ranked by their experience and level. With these new missions, we assign them to the appropriate ninja according to their rank, experience and skill. If the mission goes well, then we get paid and that is used to help our village and ninjas financially. Since you and your team are just starting to be ninjas, you will be assigned D-rank missions..."

"So, since I paid for the ramen yesterday, I expect you to pay this time Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto told his sensei. This, the Hokage didn't like.

"Silence!" The Third Hokage yelled.

"Sorry..." Kakashi replied sheepishly.

"Listen Hokage-sama, I know what you're going to say and what you mean. I also don't need you to lecture me like I'm you grandson. I'm not the same little boy who you would visit in the hospital after my accidents. I'm a ninja now and if I don't go on a real mission like a real ninja should then how would I know what to expect?" Naruto explained. Iruka and the Third Hokage smiled at his reasoning.

"So you think you can handle it, fine." The Third Hokage said.

"HUH?" Team 7 yelled.

"Since you are ninjas now, you'll be given a C-rank mission; you'll be bodyguards on a journey to the land of waves."

"Really? That's great, who'll we guard?" Naruto asked.

"Patience, I'll summon the person now. Send in the visitor." An old man with a half empty sake bottle came into the room.

"What the hell? Some snot nose kids are my bodyguards?" The old man inquired as he took another drink of his sake. Some of it didn't even enter his mouth. Naruto could tell he was drunk just by his posture and by the manner he spoke. "And do you really think I'd believe a meek girl like you would be a ninja?" Hinata looked down sadly. Naruto noticed her sudden attitude and didn't like the way the old man just insulted her. "My name is Tazuna; I'm a master bridge builder and I need to get back to my country safely. I'm building a bridge that will help my country a lot and I expect you to keep me safe even at the cost of your life."

Naruto walked up to Tazuna and shook his hand.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, that is our sensei Kakashi Hatake, over there is Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga. You can count on us to keep you safe and..." Naruto's grip on the man hardened and he made the man bend down. Naruto smiled a sinister smile at him that scared Tazuna to no end. "If you ever insult Hinata-chan again, you can count on me to make our little trip one that'll forever haunt you're dreams." Naruto said the last part low enough for only Tazuna to hear. Tazuna gulped as Naruto's cold demeanor disappeared as if it was never there.

[*.*.*.*]

"Let's go!" Naruto yelled excitingly as they passed the village gate. Tazuna couldn't believe such a happy-go-lucky kid had scared him so much before.

"What are you so happy about?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I finally get to leave the village. Not that I hate it but it's nice to see what else is beyond these walls." Naruto explained. Hinata didn't really care, she was just happy Naruto was around. Hinata wasn't sure what Naruto said to Tazuna but it apparently made him quiet. Not once did he complain about having a bunch of kids as bodyguards. They walked on in silence until Naruto couldn't take it anymore. So he did what he always does; he walks up to Hinata and they talk.

Along the way, Kakashi spots a puddle of water. He gets suspicious since there hasn't been rain for the last month. Suddenly, two ninjas morphed out of the puddle and wrapped a spiked chain around Kakashi. Kakashi was momentarily surprised but before he could act, the two ninja's pulled the chains, ripping Kakashi into pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled. Team 7 and Tazuna were shocked to say the least, but that's exactly what the two ninjas wanted. They appeared behind Naruto and stabbed him through the heart with their claws. Before the two masked ninjas could remove their claws, Naruto poofed out of existence.

This confused both ninjas, exactly what Naruto wanted. He threw a kunai in between one of the chains and made it stick to the ground. Then he appeared behind them and hit them both in the back of the head with the hilt of his two swords. They both fell but were not knocked unconscious. But before they could move, Sasuke had a kunai to the neck of one and Naruto had both swords place at the neck of the other. Hinata was with Tazuna, kunai in hand.

"It seems that you surprised us, wouldn't you say so Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as Kakashi jumped out of hiding.

"Impressive Naruto, Sasuke and you too Hinata." Kakashi said casually.

"Who are these clowns?" Sasuke asked in his usual calm voice as Kakashi tied both ninjas up.

"These are the demon brothers. My guess is that they were sent to kill Tazuna." Tazuna tensed up. Kakashi then motioned him to the side to explain what really is going on. Naruto then fell on one knee. Hinata ran over and noticed a small cut on his back.

"Naruto, they got you." Naruto smirked.

"Yeah, they still were able to get me by surprise. If my reflexes didn't kick in, I really would've been dead. Damn, they use poison." Hinata took out one of her homemade salves and started treating Naruto. They both had blushes because he had to take off his shirt for her to treat him better. The only reason Hinata didn't faint was because she was doing this for Naruto. When she finished, Tazuna and Kakashi came back and he had asked his team that the mission was now an A-rank mission and if they wanted to continue.

"Of course, if we back down now not only would they kill Tazuna but it would also mean the old man was right." Naruto reasoned. Though they wouldn't have put it in those words, Hinata and Sasuke agreed.

"Alright, since we're half way there we might as well continue. As for you two..." Kakashi noticed that the demon brothers were nowhere to be found. This worried him and his team but decided to walk on. During the trip, Hinata kept asking Naruto if he was ok and Naruto kept saying he was ok.

"Do those two have something going on?" Tazuna asked. Kakashi shrugged.

"They do seem to like each other on a deeper level but both are oblivious to each other's tell-tale signs." Tazuna nodded his head. It made sense since Naruto nearly threatened him for insulting the girl. He kept wondering until Naruto threw a kunai into the bushes.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said after seeing a scared white rabbit come out of the bush. She picked it up and started petting it.

"Oh sorry, guess I'm still a little jumpy from before." Naruto said. _'No way it was a rabbit, what I sensed was too powerful to be one. And it's white, that's not very common around here unless...'_

"Get down!" Kakashi warned as Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata ducked under a large sword that suddenly flew past them. If they hadn't ducked, they would've been headless. Then a ninja without a shirt wearing camouflage pants, arm warmers and had bandages wrapped around his face appeared on top of the huge sword.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked after getting up. The man just smirked.

"My name is Zabuza Momochi!"

"Ok, so what do you want?" Sasuke asked.

"I have come to kill the old man!" Zabuza said with bloodlust.

* * *

**That's it for chapter 6! Like I said, I might/might not** **update as fast as normal!**

**Anyways, again I wasn't planning on putting some fluff in this but it seems to magically appear in my story, hope you don't mind...**

**So with that said, hope you're liking where the story's headed, keep reading and reviewing!**

**Next Chapter: This is my fight, my struggle!  
**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	7. This is My Fight, My Struggle!

**Yo! Chapter 7 is up and ready to be read! I'd also like to add that this is by far my longest chapter ever with 10,276 words. How awesome is that! That's like one and a half chapters!  
**

**Sorry the update was a little slower than usual but the damn book I gotta read is long and complicated...**

**OK! Now, I'd like to personally thank crossxavier for all the reviews and back up he's given to me and this story. It's also thanks to him that some of the story makes sense by reminding me of somethings or giving me advice that was actually better than my original thoughts... You're an awesome reviewer and helper, thanks a lot! And a note to crossxavier, in the last review you wrote, you wondered about five things concerning my story, I answered two of them but left the other three unanswered, I wonder if you'll see it!**

**Also, thanks to everyone else who reviewed, it helps me write better and gets me enthusiastic to write the next chapter!**

**And, I'd like to mention that this story has 4,157 hits and 2,092 visitors so far! That's a personal best for me. =]...**

**Thanks again to all who read and review and a small thanks to those who just read as well...Free country, do as you like!  
**

**So anyways... On with the story!**

**Chapter 7: This is my fight, my struggle!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

_Last time on __Naruto of the Immortal Clan__..._

_"Who are you?" Naruto asked after getting up. The man just smirked._

_"My name is Zabuza Momochi!"_

_"Ok, so what do you want?" Sasuke asked._

_"I have come to kill the old man!" Zabuza said with bloodlust._

[*.*.*.*]

Hiding behind the shadows, two figures watched as Zabuza made his presence known to the Konoha ninjas. The taller one scoffed at his entrance.

"That fool Zabuza is always showing off. If it was me, those Genin, Jonin and old man would be dead by now." The figure said haughtily. The smaller figure shook its head.

"Be patient please, Zabuza-sama has a plan..." Both the figure's attention then turned to the Genin who had the guts to yell at Zabuza. Something about that particular Genin interested the taller figure.

"Over my dead body!" Naruto yelled as he unsheathed his swords. He got into his stance and waited for Zabuza to say or do something. Unfortunately for Naruto, Kakashi had other ideas.

"No Naruto! Do you have any idea who he is?" Kakashi warned.

"An eyebrowless freak that's in the way of us completing our mission. What's more to know?" Naruto asked. Hinata and Sasuke hung their head in shame. As fast, brilliant and talented as Naruto is, he was periodically idiotic.

"I like your style kid, but sometimes it is wise to know who you're dealing with." Zabuza advised, getting off his sword and taking it off the tree. Everyone watched in awe as he held the seven-foot sword like a chopstick. Naruto was glad he ran into Zabuza, now he could find out where he stood as a swordsman.

"Naruto get back here and protect Tazuna while I handle the eyebrowless freak as you called him." Kakashi stepped in front of Naruto, his voice leaving no room for argument. Naruto reluctantly walked back with the rest of Team Kakashi and Tazuna. He sheathed one sword but kept the other next to him should another unexpected predicament occur. Team Kakashi, Tazuna and the two hidden figures watched as Zabuza and Kakashi had a stare off.

"So, if it isn't Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja."

"Well hello there Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist." Naruto flinched at the word demon. He involuntarily brought his hand over the seal in his stomach.

"Why do they call you 'Demon of the Hidden Mist?" Naruto asked. Zabuza broke his stare off with Kakashi to look at Naruto with interest.

"Do you want to field this one or should I?" Kakashi asked, but this just made Zabuza smile.

"Gladly. In the past, Kirigakure had the practice of pitting ninja academy graduates against each other in a battle to the death for a final exam. Then the rules changed because of what happened ten years ago..." Zabuza paused, anticipation eating at Naruto from the inside.

"W-What h-happened?" Hinata asked.

"One day a kid, not even a ninja yet... killed all one hundred of the students. And that kid... was me. I killed all of my friends that I ate lunch with, played with... all of them. After that, they discontinued it, thanks to me." Zabuza explained; remorse and pain nowhere to be heard in his voice. Team Kakashi and Tazuna's eyes widened with surprise and disgust.

Kakashi just placed his hand on his headband and went to remove it from his left eye. When it revealed the sharingan eye, Sasuke and Naruto gasped.

_'The sharingan eye?'_ They both thought simultaneously.

"So, this is your famous sharingan eye? Well Kakashi, in my stay in the Hidden Mist's Assassination Unit, we were ordered to kill you on sight. We had your profile in our bingo book. They called you the man who copied over a thousand jutsus." They re-established their stare off as each memeber of Team Kakashi had their own thought going on in their heads.

_'I-Is Kakashi-sensei that much of a famous ninja_?'

_'Only members of the Uchiha Clan have the sharingan, even then it only occurs in certain members. Could he be...'_

"That's so cool Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto commented.

"Enough talking, I have to kill the old man and I can't do it with you brats in the way..." Team Kakashi then moved in front of Tazuna, Hinata and Sasuke holding kunai and Naruto with his swords. "So you're not going to make this easy are you? Very well..." Zabuza then disappeared and Naruto saw him land on the water. He had one hand in a hand sign and the other one was up in the air. By the way the water moved around him, Naruto guessed he was gathering chakra and by the looks of it, a lot of it.

"**Ninja art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!**" Suddenly, a dense mist appeared and blocked everyone's vision. They saw a leaf land where Zabuza once stood.

"H-He disappeared." Hinata noted. Team Kakashi also noticed that by the passing second the mist got denser.

"8 points..." A voice said, though no one knew from where. "Larynx... spine... lungs... liver.. Jugular... subclavian artery... kidney... heart... Now, which will be my first target?"

_'Damn, this mist is too dense for me... I can't see a damn thing; someone's got to get rid of this thing.'_Naruto thought while staying alert. Then, the mist disappeared and they all sensed an extremely large chakra pressure in front of them. They saw that Kakashi gathering up his chakra.

_'This pressure... it's too much. One small breath, a small movement could be enough to draw his attack. I can't take it! If I have to deal with this any longer, I'll go insane. I'd rather...'_ Sasuke positioned his kunai to his heart.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, stopping Sasuke from ending himself.

"Calm down, I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I won't let my comrades die... trust me." Kakashi said and finished with an eye smile. Zabuza then jumped out of hiding an landed right in the middle of Team Kakashi's defences.

"Don't count on it..." Zabuza said coldly as he prepared to strike them all down in one swing. Kakashi turned around and saw Zabuza with his sharingan eye. Zabuza swung down and Naruto blocked it with both swords. If he hadn't acted fast, Tazuna would be headless. Naruto flinched under the pressure and was knocked back by Zabuza.

Before he landed, Naruto through a kunai at the back of the unsuspecting Zabuza. Instead of blood, water escaped from the wound. Zabuza then broke down and turned into water. Naruto got up after landing, cursing his luck.

"It's over kid." Zabuza appeared behind Naruto and swung down. Before it made contact a second Naruto appeared from the mist and blocked it. Zabuza was shocked, which was enough time to let Kakashi get behind Zabuza and point a kunai at his neck.

"Now, it's over." Zabuza only smiled.

"You're something else kid." Zabuza started chuckling. Kakashi was confused by this, letting him experience what his own team went through when he would just randomly chuckle at their questions. It wasn't a very good experience to go through.

"You really don't get it do you? I will not be defeated by a monkey like you or the brat here. Though I got to admit, you're full of surprises. You made a water clone jutsu and made him say those words of protection. So while he had my attention, you hid in the back, waiting for me to make my move. Very skilfully executed, though..." A second Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi while the first one turned to water.

"I'm not easily fooled!"

"What?" Zabuza swung his sword to behead Kakashi. Thanks to his many years and experience, Kakashi ducked under the sword before it made contact. Zabuza's sword came all the way around and struck the ground. With his newfound momentum, Zabuza turned around and kicked Kakashi in the face, sending him flying through the air. Zabuza then went to take advantage by taking his sword and running towards him. Zabuza's instincts kicked in and he jumped right before Naruto's swords cut him down.

Zabuza turned and in mid-flight and threw a kunai he had picked up and thrown it at Naruto's face. Naruto quickly moved his head before the kunai ripped his mask off or even worse, killed him. Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

_'It almost ripped my mask. If it would've ripped... as an old classmate would say, it would've been troublesome._' Naruto thought as his attention turned back to Zabuza.

Kakashi landed in the water and immediately realized that it was no ordinary water.

_'It's a lot denser, heavier than normal water...'_

"Fool..." Kakashi eyes widened as Zabuza yelled the name of the attack.

"**Water style: Water prison jutsu!**" The water around Kakashi started forming a sphere and trapped him inside.

"Rookie mistake Kakashi, and it'll cost you and your 'comrades' dearly. You see, this prison may be made water, but it's as hard as steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move, so much for the great Kakashi. Now, to deal with your brats. **Water Clone Jutsu!**" A Zabuza clone appeared from the water and walked closer to the Genin.

"Run away, he's too powerful for you all to handle." Kakashi yelled

"No way!" Naruto yelled back.

"If you'll stay here you'll die. Now I'm ordering you to run!"

"'Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum'. That's what you taught us and we're sticking to it!" Naruto yelled. Hinata and Sasuke held their ground, showing Kakashi that they too weren't going to run. Kakashi grew proud of his team but it was cut short by Zabuza's chuckle.

"You think you're all ninjas, you think the head band makes it official? Heh, when you dealt with death, experienced it first-hand so much that it doesn't even faze you, then you can be called ninjas. If you becoming powerful enough to be entered in my bingo book, then maybe I'll acknowledge you as ninjas. But for now, you're all just little kids pretending to be ninjas. Pathetic." That word clicked in Naurto's mind. Past memories of Amir showed up in his mind. He stood unmoving, unfazed by the sudden density of the mist and the distance of his enemy.

_'Pathetic...__Pathetic...__Pathetic...'_

_'I am not pathetic. I trained my whole life, fought for my life and seen death. I went through and seen things no ordinary child would be able to stand.__And I'm still pathetic? No, NO! I will prove him wrong!'_

And that was it for Naruto, he snapped. He ducked under a kick that would've sent him flying like Kakashi had. He swung his left sword and stabbed the fake Zabuza through the heart and kicked him off the sword with a powerful roundhouse kick before it dissolved into water. Zabuza and Kakashi were amazed. Naruto's moves were graceful, powerful and controlled, almost like a tiger. If he didn't end the kid soon, Zabuza might have to call on his alliance. He made two more clones but this time, Sasuke joined in.

Naruto quickly cut the neck of the Zabuza clone and it fell. Sasuke was having a little more trouble but in the end, he defeated the clone.

_'How does he do it?'_ Sasuke thought, taking a breather. Naruto continued to walk closer to Zabuza, each clone Zabuza would make dispersed before it could cause harm.

"You know nothing about me..." Naruto ducked under a swift swing and stabbed the clone.

"I have killed before I became a ninja..." Naruto looked up and Zabuza saw Naruto's slit pupil, red eyes starring emotionlessly at him. It was like Naruto was looking at his very soul and about to cast his judgment.

"I have been close to dying more times than I could count." The sudden killer intent was excruciating to everyone. No one ever thought Naruto would ever have such rage, such aggression.

"I have soaked my hands in the blood of my enemy just to save those close to me. And now you tell me I'm pathetic? I might not have seen or experienced what you have but I have had my share of pain and experience, so don't call me pathetic!"

Naruto brought both swords to his side, making them parallel to the ground. He started compressing Kyuubi's chakra against the sword and released them in a hard swing.

"**Demon art:...**"Naruto said quietly, not wanting his friends to hear. "**Slicing Chakra Invocation!**" This time, the arc was horizontal as it went faster than Naruto has ever seen it go before. Zabuza jumped out of the way before he took a direct hit. Then he had a sudden thought and was confirmed of such thought a second later when he was kicked in the face.

"That was pay back." Kakashi said as he stretched out a bit. Kakashi focused his attention to Naruto.

_'At such a young age... to experience death... Just what was your life like Naruto?_'

"You think you won, just because you landed a cheap shot?" Zabuza said rising out of the water. "And you, boy, what's your name?"

Naruto's fierce gaze didn't lessen but he did start to visibly relax. He contemplated reasons behind his questions but decided to answer anyways.

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki of the Immortal Clan." Naruto answered proudly. Zabuza closed his eyes and let out a loud exhale.

"Naruto Uzumaki... Maybe you aren't some poser after all." Zabuza lifted up his sword and pointed it at Naruto. "Maybe someday you will be worthy enough to enter my bingo book. That is, if you manage to survive today." Kakashi threw a kunai at Zabuza to get his attention.

"Maybe, but for now, you'll have to deal with me." Both Kakashi and Zabuza jumped back and Zabuza started making hand signs, Kakashi started copying after him, his sharingan eye never leaving Zabuza. When they finished, two pillars of water rose and formed into dragons. They flowed through each other and spun around. Before they could hit their respective targets, they clashed against each other, negating their attacks and causing the water to spread out as the two dragons battle for dominance.

Under the two clashing dragons, Kakashi and Zabuza were both locked in combat. Zabuza was straining to get the upper hand but Kakashi stopped his sword with a kunai. Neither one was giving in for they knew that loser would lose their life.

_'It can't be... the sharingan can read and replicate any attack but... the jutsu occurred simultaneously. Could he...?'_ Zabuza pushed Kakashi back and the two were parted again. Zabuza started moving around to test a theory and saw that Kakashi was coping his every move, at the exact same time. They stopped, put their right hand in a hand sign and lifted their left arm in the air. Zabuza's eyes widened.

"He's not only following him, but he's moving along with him at the same speed." Tazuna stated. Hinata also noticed this.

"B-But how?"

"Do you want to answer that Sasuke? I mean after all, it's the Uchiha clan's doujutsu isn't it?" Naruto asked, reappearing right beside Hinata. Sasuke grunted.

"It's because of the sharingan eye Kakashi-sensei for some reason has. The sharingan is a rare power, it resides in the eyes. This doujutsu can copy any and all genjutsu, ninjutsu and taijutsu it sees and use it against their is a very rare doujutsu. It can also read and analyse an opponent's technique and copy it to the smallest detail." Hinata wasn't aware that her sensei had the sharingan eye.

_'My movements... He follows my movements like... like he knows what I'm...'_

"Going to do next?" Kakashi said, reading Zabuza's mind.

_'It's his damn eye...'_

"Makes you furious doesn't it?" They both made a hand sign, then another. then simultaneously, they spoke.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks, I'll crush you!" Again Zabuza was surprised. Kakashi and Zabuza continued their respective hand signs.

"When I'm through with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!" Then, Zabuza saw an image appear behind Kakashi. "What...?" The image revealed itself as Zabuza. "But how? Is it a genjutsu?" Kakashi finished the hand signs Zabuza was too surprised to finish.

"**Water style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!**" Kakashi yelled as water rose and spun around him. Then, the vortex shot out and hit Zabuza directly.

_'I was about to do the same jutsu but he beat me to it. I fear that soon, I won't be able to keep up with him!'_Zabuza thought as he landed back first into a tree while going seventy miles an hour. He felt the pain travel through his nerves. His head and neck felt the worse as they backlashed from the sudden stop. Before he could lose consciousness, he felt more pain as four kunai embedded themselves into his body.

"AHH!"

"Your end has come Zabuza." Kakashi said dead serious as he walked closer to Zabuza's weak form. Since the jutsu completed its task, the water used for the jutsu receded back into the lake.

"But How? Can you... see into the future?" Zabuza asked, panic growing inside him. Kakashi just stared emotionlessly at him.

"Yes, this is you're last fight... ever." Kakashi stated while preparing to finish Zabuza off. Before he was able to though, two senbon needles sunk into Zabuza's neck, effectively killing him. Everyone was shocked at the sudden attack. A ninja with a mask entered the clearing and stood over Zabuza's motionless body.

"Thank you for taking care of Zabuza for me, but now I'll take him back to the hidden." The hunter-nin was about to pick up Zabuza but a sword placed to slice its neck stopped all movements. Naruto gave the hunter-nin a calculating stare. The hunter-nin stiffened just a little, barely noticeable, but Naruto caught it.

"I don't think so." Before anyone could do or say anything, a smoke bomb exploded near Naruto, the Hunter-nin and Zabuza. Naruto jumped back, just barely dodging a sword similar in size to Zabuza's.

A red haired woman appeared smiled at Naruto as she took her sword out of the ground. She had a red scarf that covered the lower part of her face. She wore a black shirt that was cut in half, showing her mid-section. She had on red gloves; the glove on her left was actually a glove with black claws for fingers. She wore black ninja pants and black boots with a belt tied to the end of the right side of the pants and the left was cut so it ended four inches above her knee.

_'Who is this woman?'_ Naruto was distracted from his thoughts when she picked up Zabuza and she and the hunter-nin disappeared. Naruto swore as he saw the smoke dispersed. Kakashi did some hand signs and a dog appeared, he wrote something on it and let the dog take it and it disappeared. Kakashi then collapsed from chakra exhaustion. Naruto ran over to his sensei and lifted him up. With Team Kakashi in tow, Tazuna led them to his home.

[*.*.*.*]

Kakashi woke up to the sounds of waves crashing onto the shore. He sat up but soon lay back down as the pain in his head started to grow.

"Ah, you're up." Kakashi looked to his left and saw a woman at least twenty to twenty five years old cleaning the room he was in.

_'Kind of reminds me of Icha Icha Paradise... I wonder...'_

"Mai?" The woman looked at Kakashi with a quizzical stare.

"Mai? No, my name's Tsunami, the daughter of the bridge builder you were assigned to protect. I must thank you for watching over my father." Kakashi just nodded, upset that it wasn't something out of Icha Icha Paradise. Naruto cleared his throat to get his sensei's attention.

"Anyways, that was an awesome battle you had back there Kakashi-sensei." Naruto commented. It was then that Kakashi noticed the rest of Team Kakashi in the room. "Though if using the sharingan puts that much strain on you, I don't know how smart it is using again. Next time, the battle might not last as long as it did."

"Yeah..." Kakashi said weakly.

"Well he did fight off a powerful assassin so I think we'll be safe." Tazuna added. Naruto nodded his head and stood up. Miyu suddenly came into the room and sat on Hinata's lap.

"I didn't know you brought Miyu!" Hinata said, hugging Miyu.

"I didn't either. Little sneak must've went into my bag when I was packing and slept through the whole trip. Which is weird seeing as we made a lot of noise." Naruto walked to the door and stopped.

"If you need anything Kakashi-sensei, I'm going to be outside training." Hinata stood as well, still holding Miyu.

"M-Mind if I come Naruto-kun?" Naruto eye smiled and nodded. They both left and now only Sasuke and Kakashi were in the room. Tsunami and Tazuna decided to give them some time alone since they had a feeling Sasuke wanted to ask Kakashi something. Though Kakashi paid no mind to it, he had his own thoughts and worries.

_'Something doesn't feel right... If Zabuza was killed then why do I feel like this? It's like I missed something...'_ Kakashi was brought out of his thoughts when Sasuke spoke up.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Kakashi looked up at the Genin.

"Hmm...?" Kakashi asked.

"We need to talk."

"And what about Sasuke?"

"Your sharingan eye..." Kakashi sighed, he should've known that Sasuke would ask, he just wished it wasn't so soon.

"There's not much I can tell you about it. I lost my own eye and got a new one."

"Yeah but..." Sasuke was interrupted by Tsunami.

"I'm sorry to bother but lunch is ready." She then left the room, feeling the tension radiating of Sasuke.

"Another time Sasuke..." Kakashi saw two crutches, took them to stand, and left the room. Sasuke followed after him, angry at the sudden interruption. He was greeted by the sight of a blushing Hinata, a half stuffed Naruto with his head in the bowl, a drunk old man trying to sit down, a mother serving everyone and a solemn kid. Sasuke sat down nearest to Naruto and waited for his food.

"So sensei, what are we going to do now?" Naruto asked as he continued to stuff his face.

"Well, I'll train you guys to prepare for the upcoming battle." Naruto started choking on his food, causing Hinata to panic and slap Naruto's back constantly until he wasn't choking anymore. When Naruto stopped and making sure his mask was on, he faced his sensei.

"Train? You can't even move without crutches!"

"I don't have to be mobile to train you." Naruto sighed and started eating his food again.

"I guess. But how'll this help out with our fight with Zabuza? It's not we have a lot of time to become super strong in such a short time." Kakashi was about to answer but someone beat him to it.

"There's no point..." A solemn voice said. Naruto looked around and spotted the small boy with an angler like hat.

"What...?"

"There's no point. You'll all die trying to protect a hopeless cause! Gato and his men will just wipe them out like they did to the people before you. If you want to stay alive, you might want to quit now." Naruto stood up and glared at the kid.

"Listen up brat cause I don't like to repeat myself. This Gato or Balto or whatever his name is, he doesn't stand a chance against us. We may not look it but we're stronger than an average ninja our age or even older. There's no way I'm quiting until this mission and the bridge is done so shut your mouth before you'll have to eat your own words."

"Naruto." Kakashi scolded. Naruto looked down until his hair covered his eyes.

"Besides... if we quit now your grandfather will die..." The kid tensed up, the reaction Naruto hoped for. "Is that what you want, your grandfather's death?" The kid didn't answer, instead, he got up and left the room.

"Sorry about that." Tazuna said before resuming to eat his lunch.

[*.*.*.*]

"So when's he waking up?"

"Usually, a person struck in the neck like he was would take about a day or two to wake but since this is Zabuza-sama, he should..."

"Be waking up about now." Zabuza answered, sitting up as he did so. "That was brutal Haku and take that damn mask off. I swear it's like you enjoy doing this to me." The hunter-nin took off the mask and a girl appeared behind the mask. She smiled at Zabuza innocently.

"Sorry, apparently they saw through my deception."

"They would've killed you too if I hadn't jumped in." The red haired woman commented. Zabuza glared at the woman.

"Shut up Hikari."

"Just speaking the truth. So, what's going to happen now?"

"Well, Zabuza-sama will be sore all week and will be unable to move as much..." Zabuza struggled to rise to his feet but to no avail. "But seeing as we're talking about Zabuza-sama, He'll be up and running in half the time." Hikari walked behind Zabuza and slapped him in the back.

"Here that eyebrows, you'll be fine and dandy in a couple of days." Zabuza let out a small gasp of pain before glaring at Hikari again.

"You idiot!" Zabuza yelled, Hikari laughed and went to sit down on a chair across from the bed Zabuza laid on.

"Relax, you have a few days off and when you return to finish the job, I'll join in. I'm not going to 'sit back and watch you destroy them' like you said you'd do. No, this time, I'm joining the fight too." Hikari said stubbornly.

"Heh, fine, I'll need you and Haku for the next fight anyways. And you two..." The demon brothers morphed from the shadows and bowed in front of him. "I expect you to take out the Genin. The blond might give us some trouble so I'll let Haku deal with him. You two will take the rest. Hikari, you and me will take out Kakashi." Hikari waved it off.

"Yeah yeah, as long as I fight, that's enough for me." Zabuza smiled evilly as he thought how his plan would come out. Unfortunately for him, his plan would soon need some modifications as four ninjas made their way closer to the Land of Waves.

[*.*.*.*]

"Alright, training starts now." Team Kakashi was outside in the forest. After lunch, Kakashi had told Team Kakashi to meet outside for some training. When they arrived they were surprised to see Kakashi there before them. "Now first part: review of chakra..."

_**'Brat, I'm bored...'**_ Naruto sweat dropped.

_'Ok, so what do you want from me?'_ Naruto didn't want to stick around and listen to the review but it's not like he could do something about it.

_**'Leave this place, at least go train for real.'**_ Kyuubi insisted.

_'Train on what? Itachi-sensei didn't leave me anything__to practice on.'_ Naruto retorted. It was true, the training with Itachi consisted of taijutsu, some kenjutsu, one jutsu and chakra control. He was getting kind of bored with the usual routine but he would never have the guts to say it to his face. Naruto was good, but not that good. Kyuubi sighed in defeat.

_**'I'll... train you...'**_ Kyuubi offered, less than enthusiastic as before.

_'On what?'_ Naruto asked suspiciously

_**'How's this, I'll teach you a new jutsu.'**_ Naruto brighten up and saw that Kakashi was standing upside down on a branch. Before anyone could notice, Naruto replaced himself with a shadow clone with enough chakra to last through the day. With an unsaid order, the clone, along with Team Kakashi, tried to climb the tree without hands. Since he didn't want his team to get suspicious, he made the clone pretend to fall after a couple of steps. Naruto ran in the opposite direction until he was sure it was a good distance away.

_'So what's the new jutsu?'_ Naruto asked impatiently.

_**'Well, it's a very destructive jutsu. I'm sure it's in the forbidden scroll your village holds. It takes a lot of chakra control to summon and use the attack**_**.'** Naruto was getting more excited by the minute. _**'This jutsu is called**_**"Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu".**_**With this jutsu, you do these hand signs...'**_ Kyuubi sent mental hand signs to Naruto's mind. _**'With that, you would hold your hand out, aimed for the enemy and, if done properly,**__**water and fire will swirl together in a whirlpool like way and charge for the opponent. With the proper chakra control, you would be able to lead the attack to the opponent even if they moved out of the way.'**_

_'That's awesome, so what's so dangerous about it.'_

_**'If you don't have good chakra control, it can turn against you and explode, blasting both you and your opponent. The after math is not pretty so don't mess up!'**_

Naruto noticed the worry and warning in Kyuubi's voice so took heed. He did the hand signs and held his hand out, pointing out to the middle of the ocean, hoping nothing or no one was in the way.

"**Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!**" Water from the ocean and fire started swirling around Naruto's outstretched hand. From his view, he could see that the fire and water did look like a whirlpool. He opened his hand and the jutsu shot off into the water. It sped off to the horizon and when it hit the surface of the ocean, the attack exploded and the water sprang up fifty feet into the air.

Naruto kneeled down to one knee. That attack took a lot out of him. He was sure he could do three to four more before collapsing from the lack of chakra.

_**'Nice work, now do it again.'**_

_'Are you insane?'_ Naruto asked a bit out of breath.

_**'You have me don't you? Instead of using your chakra, use mine. If we stop now, I'll get bored again. At least with this, I can see destruction and actually know that it wasn't my fault. Well, not entirely.'**_

Naruto sighed and summoned Kyuubi's chakra. He continued the training and with Kyuubi's chakra, the water rose up to at least a hundred feet into the air. In addition, Naruto was able to control where the attack went. He made it do spirals and loops and then made it explode right in the air. He continued to do this through the day until his clone's memories came back. Team Kakashi decided to take a break, so he dispelled himself when they left. Naruto continued his training until he felt a second presence around. He spun on his foot and watched as the forest remained still.

"Come on out, I know someone's there." An attractive girl, a year or two older than Naruto walked into the clearing Naruto was in. She had dark brown eyes and long black flowing hair with a pink sleeveless kimono.

Naruto watched with a some interest. He found her cute, pretty even but nothing more than that. The only girl... female on Earth Naruto thought deserved the right to be called beautiful was Hinata. The girl watched Naruto with a smile, a smile Naruto has seen before in the mirror. A smile that hid the pain of their past.

"Hello." The girl said warmly.

"Good afternoon. May I ask what you're doing here?" In the ninja world, you had to see underneath the underneath. Naruto could tell she was genuinely nice but with Zabuza still out there with his two other allies, he could never be too sure.

"I'm gathering herbs."

"Herbs huh? Well I didn't see any herbs around here." The girl showed Naruto the basket she had behind her back and he saw herbs in it.

"That's because there isn't any herbs here. I was walking home and this is a shorter way to reach it. I'm sorry for disturbing you from your training." Naruto waved her off.

"You didn't, I was thinking about taking a break anyways." Naruto sat down cross-legged. She walked up to Naruto and sat down in front of him.

"I noticed by your head band that you're a ninja, or is this a fashion statement you're trying to develop?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. The girl saw Naruto's smile through his mask, which made her wonder why he wore one.

"Yeah, I am a ninja from Konoha. I'm here on a mission."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"Sorry, I'm not allowed to say." Naruto said, his smile lessening.

"That's understandable." The girl said with a smile of her own. "So are you training for something dangerous?"

"In a way I am but not necessarily. I'm just trying to sharpen my skills to get stronger and for missions in the near future." Naruto answered calmly.

"But you seem strong now, isn't that enough?" The girl asked innocently.

"You would think so but sadly no, it isn't. I have to get stronger and stronger. If I face a person stronger than me, then how will I protect the people I care about?" Naruto seemed to be asking himself more than the girl. This seemed to peek the girl's interest.

"So there's someone precious to you?" She asked. Mental images of Hinata popped into his mind. He blushed and thanked god that he wore a mask.

"Can you be a little more specific?" Naruto asked, wanting to make sure he knew what she meant by 'precious'. Though his facial expression made her laugh. "Hmm? What's so funny?"

"You see, when someone has someone to protect, then they become genuinely strong." Naruto's eyes opened wider as he thought back to his fight with the cloud-nins to protect Hinata, Kakashi protecting them from Zabuza and how vicious he attacked Itachi when he thought he hurt Hinata.

"I get you. Yeah, I see exactly how you mean." Naruto said while the girl smiled, "So who are the herbs for?"

"The person I view as my precious person." She stood up, remembering the reason why she set out for the herbs. "I'm glad I got to meet you uh..."

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto introduced as he too stood up. The girl smiled, kissed him in the cheek and walked away.

"My name's Haku. I'm sure we'll meet again Naruto." Naruto stood there shocked; it took him some time to get over the shock. He watched her leave, sighed but before he continued his training, he felt a presence he hasn't sensed in a while, the presence of his rival.

Naruto frantically ran back to Tazuna's house, praying that it wasn't true and that he was hallucinating because he just tired from all the training. Sadly, though, it was not to be, as Naruto saw Sakura hugging Sasuke, Shino and Kurenai near Kakashi and worse of all, Kiba flirting with Hinata. Hinata seemed to laugh at a joke Kiba told her, angering the masked boy more. Akamaru was still trying to get the fox back but Miyu again thought it was a game so she didn't take it so seriously.

"Hey guys!" Naruto said, trying to keep his anger under control.

"Well if it isn't fox boy. Where have you been?" Kiba said, giving Naruto a smile and a glare at the same time. Naruto ignored Kiba, walked past him, and started talking to Hinata. This got Kiba angry; he never liked being ignored. "Hey dobe!"

"What dog breath?" This only seemed to encourage Kiba's anger. Not thinking, Kiba said the first thing he thought of. Unfortunately for him, he would grow to regret it later.

"I want to fight you." Naruto was about to deny when Kakashi stepped in between them.

"Great Idea. Let's see… everyone who doesn't wish to fight, please go join Kurenai-sensei on the other side of the lawn." Hinata, Sakura and Shino walked over where Kurenai was. "Ok then, semms like this will be a triple threat. I and Kurenai-sensei will be refereeing the match and we'll decide when it's over, agreed?" Kiba, Sasuke and Naruto nodded their head. "Begin!"

[*.*.*.*]

"Well, it's seems like the unbeatable 'Demon of the Mist' was defeated." Gato said, entering the room with two swordsmen. Haku turned around and glared daggers at the man. Haku stood and the two swordsmen prepared to unsheathe their swords. Gato stopped them before anything really happened.

"Now, now..." Gato walked closer and was about to touch Zabuza when a hand sprang out and grasped his. "What the..."

"Don't you touch this man with your filthy hands!" Haku applied pressure on his wrist, so much that it could break.

"Damn you, let go!" The two swordsmen took out their swords. But before they could use them, Haku had already taken them and threaten to cut their throats.

"Don't mess with me... I'm in a foul mood." She warned. She then threw the swords across the room.

"One more chance; you mess up the opportunity and I'll make sure Mist ANBU find you, you got that? Let's go." Gato left the room with his swordsman.

"That wasn't necessary." Zabuza said.

"Probably but this isn't the best time to take him out. We still need him to cover for us. If we killed him, then we would only draw unnecessary and unwanted attention to ourselves. We need patience and restraint."

"Yeah, patience and restraint..." Hikari walked into the room with food. "Listen to Haku-chan for once eyebrows." Hikari said. Zabuza grunted.

"Great..."

"What the hell kind of swords are these?" Hikari said as she put the food down. She then brought her sword down on the other swords laying on the floor, cutting the blade from the pummel. "Hmmph, poorly made pieces of trash. They yours eyebrows? Haku-chan?" Haku shook her head and Zabuza didn't answer, knowing she would know the answer.

"Well who's ever it is, they need to reconsider owning a sword." Zabuza sighed; thankful this crazy woman never had any children.

[*.*.*.*]

The match was vicious for everyone. They each started out with taijutsu. Sasuke was able to get the upper only because Kiba and Naruto were too busy fighting each other. He punched Naruto in the face while Kiba got a strong roundhouse kick. Kiba then turned to a log while Naruto poofed out of existence. Sasuke landed, trying to figure out where his two opponents were. Naruto was the first to appear though it was really three Narutos that jumped at Sasuke

"Simple illusions won't fool me." Sasuke said but was suddenly punched in the stomach, sending him flying into the air. A second Naruto kicked him in the stomach again, sending him higher. The third Naruto was over Sasuke and sent an axe kick to his back.

Sasuke was disoriented for the first two attacks but after that, he got focused and turned around just in time to catch Naruto's kick. He then rotated himself so when they landed, he would fall on Naruto. That Naruto poofed and then another randomly poofed as well. Kiba was seen in behind the back of the last clone to poof.

"**Wind style: Air Bullet!**" Sasuke and Kiba moved out of the lawn and saw a huge gust of wind with the middle of the lawn, destroying it and the remaining clones. The dust and dirt went all around, and when it cleared they saw Naruto take out his two swords. He got into his stance and stared and his two opponents. Kiba noticed a devious smile directed right at him. He took a step back but that was a mistake.

Two cuts appeared on his left arm, then another two on his right leg, then more and more.

"The hell?" Everyone watching were astonished and wondered where the cuts were coming from. Kakashi eye smiled at the speed his student possessed. A second Naruto kicked Kiba in the back, sending him to the Naruto in the middle of the lawn. That Naruto poofed and with it, a small note fell on Kiba's head. He took it off his head and the note made Kiba's eyes widen. It read:

'Boom!'

Kiba immediately put the note down and jumped away from the explosive note. When nothing happened, Kiba looked at Naruto expectantly.

"What? You think I'd really use explosive tags?" Naruto then blocked a kunai thrown by Sasuke. "Ah Sasuke, forgot you were here." This got Sasuke angry. He made hand signs and put his hand near his mouth.

_'Damn...'_Naruto thought as he jumped back.

"**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!**" A large fireball went straight to Naruto. Naruto looked at Hinata and she looked at him. She blushed and waved. Naruto nodded his head and instead and dodging the fireball, he took it head on.

"Naruto-kun!" Everyone but Kakashi and Shino yelled, though Shino did raise an eyebrow. What was odd was that the fireball still didn't explode, it was like something was holding it back. When they looked closer, they saw Naruto had both swords holding the attack back.

Naruto was struggling to keep the fireball back. With the force he was using to hold himself in place, and the amount of chakra he was using to make sure the fire didn't burn the blade, Naruto was getting worn out but then it exploded. Everyone turned away as the explosion would have blinded them with its bright light. When they returned their gaze, they saw fire still actively burning something. Kurenai was about to call the match when Kakashi stopped him.

"What..." Kakashi just stared at the fire. Kurenai gasped when she saw a blade extend out of the fire. It then turned parallel to the ground and blew the fire away. Naruto was seen in his stance; he was panting and sweating from the heat and effort he put behind his defence. Kiba and Sasuke were too shocked to move. Naruto smiled and disappeared before their eyes. Kiba knew he would be Naruto's target but didn't react fast enough when Naruto sent a strong uppercut to his chin. Kiba flew in the air and landed hard.

Naruto and Sasuke then had a stare off. Sasuke started doing hands signs when he noticed Naruto doing some of his own, though he never seen those hand signs used together like that before. Now, both Kakashi's and Kurenai's eyes widened.

_'N-No way... That's impossible... It takes too much chakra...'_ Was the general thought of both Jonin.

When he finished, Naruto held his hand out, pointing it at Sasuke, fist closed. Sasuke had stopped half way when he felt the amount of chakra Naruto was using. It was an insane amount of chakra and Naruto wasn't even breaking a sweat. All the chakra that Sasuke could feel suddenly vanished and Naruto's hand flew up.

"I'm done!" Naruto said. Everyone watched in awe as the sudden chakra that radiated from Naruto disappeared. Kiba stood and smirked,

"So you finally realized that you're a loser huh?" Naruto gave Kiba a death glare, one that will never leave Kiba's thoughts and nightmares.

"Says the guy that was knocked down by a 'loser'." Kiba snarled at his reply. Everyone else went towards the combatants.

"Since Kiba is not fit enough to fight and Naruto quit, it seems that Sasuke Uchiha is the winner by default." Kurenai said. Naruto and everyone else applauded except for Kiba and Sakura. Kiba didn't like to accept defeat and Sakura hugged the Uchiha. Sasuke, contrary to popular belief, was not as some would say a 'happy camper' about his win. He did not like winning by default. But he knew there was nothing he could do about it, it was just a spar after all.

Kiba fell to a knee and Hinata went to see if he was alright. Kiba had told her he couldn't walk so he asked her to help him get inside the house. She hesitantly agreed and Naruto watched as Kiba placed an arm over Hinata's shoulders and walked back to the house. Kiba then looked back and gave Naruto an arrogant smile. Naruto's face showed the scorn he felt as he left.

"Where are you going Naruto?" Kurenai asked.

"Who cares, let's go celebrate Sasuke-kun's victory!" Sakura yelled in excitment. Sasuke and Kakashi both noticed Naruto walking away angry and scornful. A small, weird thing they noticed was that every step he took, the ground under him would rot and die.

_'Naruto...'_Sasuke thought solemnly, wondering what was wrong with his teammate.

_'It seems that not only do I need to find out where he discovered such a technique, but I also need to have a talk with him.'_

Everyone else was inside by now and Naruto was deep in the woods practicing on his taijutsu and kenjutsu for hours. In the time he spent outside, he would cut down fifty-year-old trees, and punch and kick down the rest. It was then that he threw a sword a foot away from a small tiger that entered the clearing.

The tiger was only a year old and yet didn't flinch. The tiger had shining orange fur with white as snow fur underneath it. The black stripes on its back looked like someone got a brush, dipped it in black ink and drawn the stripes on its back with precison and grace. The tiger's amber eyes bore themselves into Naruto as Naruto relaxed and got out of his stance.

"Yo Naruto-kun, Itachi-sama wishes to speak with you!" The tiger, Kaya as she liked to be known, said as she climbed on Naruto's head. She heard Miyu entering the clearing and jumped down to be greeted the fox.

"Miyu-chan! How's it been?" Kaya was a constant summon Naruto and Itachi used to communicate whenever Itachi would pay an unexpected visit from time to time. Since Itachi told him of the dangers of a usual schedule meeting, he decided to use Kaya as a messenger to tell Naruto of the unexpected training. Being the constant summon that she was, she would usually stay and talk or play with Miyu. The small fox replied her answer in a small sequence of barks. Kaya nodded.

"I completely agree, sometimes he can get a little weird too..." Naruto coughed, trying to stop the little gossip Miyu and Kaya were about to start. No matter what species, it seemed to Naruto that females liked to gossip.

"Kaya, where's Itachi-sensei?" Kaya turned around and started walking away from them.

"Over there, follow me..." Kaya led them into an abandon clearing seven feet north from where Naruto once was. His instincts were screaming at Naruto so he jumped out of the clearing with Miyu and Kaya in his arms as a fireball impacted where Naruto had been standing a second previously.

"It seems that you've gotten better Naruto." Itachi said coming out of hiding. Naruto dusted himself off and walked closer to Itachi.

"So it seems..." Naruto said depressingly.

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked. Naruto stiffened and then relaxed.

"Nothing, just a mutt problem I have to deal with back at the house. So, what you need Itachi-sensei?" Naruto asked, letting his fake happiness resurface from within him. Itachi shook his head and sighed.

"I just thought you might like some more training." Naruto then had a thought.

"Oh, Itachi-sensei watch this!" Naruto did some hand signs but never finished as Itachi's hand stopped him just as he made the last sign. Naruto looked up at him confused.

"That's a dangerous jutsu to try here Naruto. Who taught you that jutsu?"

"Kyuubi, he got bored so decided to watch me be a little destructive while I practiced the jutsu." Naruto explained. Itachi dropped his hand.

"Well, be careful; if you've seen it's destructive power then you would know that it could completely obliterate this forest. Now, I want to show you a jutsu of my own creation." Itachi made some hand signs and a shadow clone came into existence.

"But... that looks like a normal shadow clone." Itachi then sent his clone to walk to the ocean near the clearing. Naruto watched as the shadow clone exploded.

"That Naruto, is my Shadow Clone Explosion Jutsu." Naruto's eyes widened with excitment. Itachi explained how the shadow clone explosion worked and let Naruto try it out. By the time Naruto was able to successfully achieve the desired effect it was an hour past midnight. "That's enough Naruto; it's time for me to leave. I don't want you to practice this move while left unattended. You may have potential to do it successfully, that doesn't mean you won't make a mistake. These explosions have the potential to kill you if you are close enough to one."

Naruto reluctantly nodded and Itachi left. Kaya left long ago from lack of sleep and Miyu went to Tazuna's home as well. Naruto waited only a couple of minutes before he tried the exploding jutsu one more time. Naruto knew this would be his last one since he could feel his chakra reserves losing most of the chakra.

What he wasn't expecting was that because of the lack of sufficient chakra, the clone exploded before he could even take a step. Naruto flew through the clearing and landed in a lake two hundred yards away from the clearing he was once in.

Hinata tensed as she heard water splashing on the other side of the lake. She turned while in the lake and saw someone face down in the water. Hinata got out and ran over to the person to see if he or she was ok. She stopped when she saw blond hair on the person's head.

"N-Naruto... -kun?" Hinata asked fearful. Of all people, she wished it wasn't Naruto who she found like this. Then she sprinted down to him and jumped in the water to get him out. She dragged him out of the water and set him down on her lap. It didn't look like he was drowning or dead. It didn't even seem like he knew she was there. To Hinata, it's like he landed there. How? That was trivial to Hinata right now. She checked to make sure there were no wounds on him.

Naruto opened an eye when he felt hands on him. He saw someone over him. His only opened eye widened as he figured out that this person was a girl and not only that; she was a naked girl. He didn't see anything in much detail since the explosion still messed up his vision and hearing but he did see that this girl was shirtless. He noticed that by the way her pale skin looked smooth under the moon light shining down. Her somewhat short dark hair lightly brushed his face and it sent shivers down his spine. One last thought ran through Naruto's mind before he lost consciousness.

_'Who is this girl?'_

Hinata finished checking Naruto over and only saw small scorch marks and burns. Whatever happened to Naruto, it wasn't anything serious so she relaxed a little. Then she felt how his hand was on her knee. She most've placed it there when she was checking his arm. She blushed a shade of red that most would think was impossible to have. She finally came to the realization that she was still naked while Naruto's head was on her lap.

She got up and ran to her clothes. When she had them on, she ran back to Tazuna's house while carrying Naruto, the same thought going through her head.

_'I'm just glad Naruto-kun is asleep. I think I'd die from embarrassment if he'd seen me naked.'_

In the distance, a shadow could be seen smiling and giggling.

"You might be a problem for eyebrows and me but you're one weird kid, blondy." The shadow stood and left, her red hair flowing in the wind.

* * *

**Ah yes, that is chapter 7 with over 10,000 words! AWESOME!**

**Also, thanks to crossxavier and his curiosity of Naruto's mask, I was inspred enough to create a short contest!**

**Yup a contest!**

**So, I'm sure that some of you may or may not be curious as to why Naruto wears a mask... that is quite simple but also so simple that some might miss it...**

**So here's the contest, review or PM me on what you think the reason why Naruto wears a mask is...**

**The prize, to appear in this story! Not the best prize but I think it'd be cool to appear in this story don't you?**

**Now, the first two or three people to get it or closest to it gets to be in my story... If I feel like your reason is close or similar but not exactly like the reason, then I'll make an exception...I gotta say though, crossxavier had pretty good guess, whether or not they are right will be determined at a later period..**

**Rules:**

**-I will only except answers from members of fanfiction[dot]net because I would not be able to contact anonymous reviewers...  
-I will only except two guess from each person... I think I'm being fair by giving one more extra try than I had planned...  
-There are more than one reason to his mask but one of them is the genuine reason so, depending on the which right guess you make will determine how big your character will be...  
-When you give me both reasons at the same time, I won't tell you which one is right but only that you got it right...  
-Also, be opened minded, it doesn't necessarily revolve around Naruto or 300, in a free hint, it has to do with another anime, namely bleach! There you go, I think I have given more than a fair hint, anymore hints will need to be asked because I don't want to give it out...**

**Prize:**

**If I tell you you've won, there's a couple of things you have to do to be in this fanfic, all very simple and easy-to-do requests:**

**-Tell me what exactly you want to wear in the fic; clothing, hair, hair style, length and the like...  
-Personality you want your character to have; personality, attitude, etc...  
-When I tell you that you'll either play a big or small role in the story, you'll tell me what you want to do... Like, if I tell you you'd have a small role, you can be a merchant to random villager who wants to talk! A larger role might be a head bandit from a random mission team kakashi would have or be a princess and/or important person team kakashi needs to guard... This is just at the top of my head so you'll have to think that part on your own but if it effects the story too much, I'll tell you to think of another role... If you're really lucky, I just might make you the reason why Naruto and Hinata hook up or any other pair of your choosing... Again, just off the top of my head and a definite maybe...**

**One last thing, I will need at least one major role in this and the contest will last until they return to konoha to take the chunin exams which will be after the next chapter or so... So til then  
**

**If you want a hint, you can PM me and i'll give it to you... But again, that is your choice, you don't even have to participate in this and wait for my nect chapter to come up, that's your choice...**

**Next Chapter: The Final Confrontation, Judgment Day!  
**

**So good bye and good luck with whatever!**


	8. The Final Confrontation, Judgment Day!

**Hello there, here's chapter 8...**

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and for those who participated in the little contest...**

**It's still open for those of you who still want to try...**

**Anyways, have fun reading chapter 8...  
**

**Chapter 8: The Final Confrontation, Judgment Day!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

_Last time on __Naruto of the Immortal Clan__..._

_She got up and ran to her clothes. When she had them on, she ran back to Tazuna's house while carrying Naruto, the same thought going through her head._

_'I'm just glad Naruto-kun is asleep. I think I'd die from embarrassment if he'd seen me naked.'_

_In the distance, a shadow could be seen smiling and giggling._

_"You might be a problem for eyebrows and me but you're one weird kid, blondy." The shadow stood and left, her red hair flowing in the wind._

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto and the rest of Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai spent the next following days practicing on their teamwork and the tree climbing exercise. Hinata, Sakura and Shino were the only ones that had that exercise down. Naruto, Sasuke and Kiba were another story. Naruto just kept falling and falling while Kiba and Sasuke had better luck. Naruto was losing his patience and was getting tired of pretending. Whenever they took a break, he would sneak out and practice on the Elemental jutsu Kyuubi taught him or the shadow clone explosion jutsu.

One day, Naruto decided to practice more freely. So he took off his special 'equipment' that he obtained long ago and when he tried the Elemental jutsu... well, this is what happened:

A shock wave that shook the entire area to its core in a ten-mile radius. Naruto would just watch in awe as he created a crater in the ocean about a mile in diameter before the water in the ocean covered it up. Naruto decided that it was too dangerous to try it again without his 'equipment' on. Kakashi and Kurenai would appear in the clearing Naruto was in only to find nothing but small crater on the ground and no one in sight. They found this suspicious and investigated it. They found nothing but were more wary of the area they were in from then on.

Throughout his secret training, he had seen and talked to Haku every time she happened to pass by. They talked about some of their past and future dreams, though Haku never seemed to talk much about herself. Naruto found this odd but still enjoyed the time he spent with Haku. She wasn't an ordinary girl and he had this odd connection to her.

On the third day of training, he had an interesting chat with Inari, the little solemn boy from before, and it didn't go as well as Naruto had hoped. When he confronted Inari about his attitude, Inari just replied with a 'What do you care?' and a 'You would never understand…' This angered Naruto so he picked up Inari and told him to suck it up and be a man. He told him that life goes on even when the reason for living was gone. Inari just scoffed at Naruto and called him a fool. Naruto would've punched him but he had more self-control so he dropped him and left.

On this day, after five days of training non-stop, everyone decided to take a break. Naruto decided to walked around the Land of Waves and see how Gato's interference had affected them.

Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai were informed who Gato really was a day after team practice.

Gato is a powerful shipping magnate whose shipping company was actually a front for much shadier activities, such as smuggling illegal goods and dealing drugs. He took control of the Land of Waves' shipping routes and created a monopoly by isolating the country from the outside world, preventing free import and export and turning it into a poor, hunger-stricken country in the process. He is a cruel, greedy man, also responsible for humiliating and killing Kaiza in public for being the country's hero. They later learned Kaiza was Inari's step-father. Kaiza's death had the effect of demoralising the people of the country, to the point that they no longer had the courage to stand up to Gato.

Naruto decided to walk around the town when Shino and Hinata ask him if he could join him. Shino wanted to get to know the town should anything occur that would need him to go into it. And Hinata just wanted to go with Naruto, much to Kiba's disappointment. So the three left and Naruto, as he walked through the town with Miyu on his shoulder, was annoyed and enraged by Gato and his actions. It disgusted him that a man with such power would take advantage of it and turn a peaceful town into one of poverty. He passed by many kids and adults who stayed in the shadows of many buildings all day, hoping for a day they would be able to stand tall and out of the shadow of the many buildings.

A small girl, no older than five years runs up to Naruto and holds her hand out. Naruto stops and faces the kid. Hinata and Shino stop as well, seeing as their comrade has. Naruto's heart brakes as he searched his pockets to find something to give the kid. Then, he feels his gama-wallet and sees that it is half full. He looks at Miyu then at the small kid. He crouches down and gives the kid the wallet.

"Here you go. I'm sorry if it's not what you were looking for but I hope it helps." Naruto said as he eye smiled at the girl. She smiled back and gave Naruto a kiss in the cheek and giggles at his reaction. He was slightly shocked but smiled at the little girl afterward. The mother, by Naruto's guess, came over to them and scolded the little girl.

"Aoi, give the young man his wallet back. I'm sorry but she's only four and doesn't know much. Please forgive her." The woman pleaded, while the little girl gave Naruto his wallet back. Naruto looked at it and then put it back in the girl's hands.

"Aoi? That's a pretty name." Naruto told the young girl, who smiled at him, before looking at her mother.

"It's ok, really. I have enough back at my house and I wanted to give it to her, please accept it." Naruto said with a short bow, then walking back to Hinata and Shino. The mother smiled as a couple of tears escaped her eyes. She looked down at her daughter as the little girl smiled and gave her mother the wallet.

"Thank you. I will never forget the kindness you have shown us and I promise to repay it... someday." The woman said as she and her daughter walked in the opposite direction, heading for the supermarket. Naruto watched and a small tear, barely noticeable to the human eye escaped his eye.

_'I will help this people out. Even at the cost of my life.'_

"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata's voice snaps him out of his thoughts. He turns to face her and sees her small blush.

"Yes Hinata-chan?" He sees Hinata pointing behind him so he turns and sweat drops at what he sees. A lot of small children, ages ranging from three to ten, had their hands out. Naruto checked his person again but found nothing but kunai and shurikens. He tells them that he has nothing and they all turn away, sadden by the fact he had nothing to give. This wasn't necessarily true since an idea popped in his head.

"Wait!" The kids all turn to see Naruto moving his hands quickly. He then slammed his hand on the floor and yelled,

"**Summoning Jutsu!**" When the smoke clears, they all see tiger cubs of various shapes, color and sizes appear. The leader of group, who was called Akio and was the oldest, looked up at Naruto. His amber eyes staring into Naruto's. His red fur with black strips glistened under the sun.

"What is it now?" He asked roughly. His attention was then turned to the many kids playing with his pack.

"Please don't tell me..."

"Sorry but I couldn't give these kids anything so..."

"You want to give them us?" Akio accused.

"No, no, no that's not it. I just wanted them to have some time to play..." Akio sighed and surrendered, seeing no harm in it.

"Fine, just don't let anyone get hurt." Akio then poofed back to his world. Naruto sighed and started to walk away. Hinata and Shino followed after him. When they reached him, Shino was surprisingly the one who spoke first.

"Do you think it is wise to leave those cubs with those children, Naruto?"

"It doesn't really matter. They know they can't attack a human with commanded to do so. Besides, they're cubs just like those kids, they all just want some time to play and relax too." Naruto replied nonchalantly. Hinata smiled and was trying very hard not to hug Naruto for being so kind-hearted.

In Naruto's mind, he was thinking about the upcoming battle and the aftermath of it. All possible conclusions he could think of were buzzing in his head. Some were happy endings, but most were gruesome and saddening. Hinata noticed the change in his mood and wanted to help raise his spirits.

A sudden loud crash could be heard, coming from the direction of the bridge. Naruto looked back at his comrades and they each nodded their heads. They dashed to the scene of the explosion and were greeted with the site of Zabuza, the hunter-nin, the red haired woman and the Demon Brothers. Zabuza and the red haired woman both held the same smile, one of anticipation. Zabuza was the one who spoke.

"Heh, so only three of you, and one I've never seen. This should be fun." Zabuza said this while taking his sword of his back. He swung it hard to the floor, making it crack under the pressure. Hikari did the same with her sword but instead of letting it hit the floor, she threw it at Hinata. Naruto saw this coming and blocked it with his swords. As strong as she is, Zabuza's force was much stronger in comparison. This enabled Naruto to shove the sword back.

"I pick the little girl." Hikari said as she disappeared to grab her sword.

"I get the blond kid." Zabuza said.

"Really? That's an interesting choice eyebrows." Hikari and Zabuza turned their head in the direction of a laughing Naruto.

"Eyebrows? What eyebrows?" Naruto mocked. Zabuza's grip on his sword tightened when he heard Hikari laughing along with him.

"That's what I said!" Zabuza growled, which stopped the laughter between the two.

"Just take care of your end damn it! Haku, you just sit back and let the Demon Brothers deal with the guy in the shades." The Demon brother cracked their knuckles. Though they would rather go after Naruto, they could take out their anger out on Shino. What nobody noticed was that Naruto was shaking with anger and betrayal.

"Haku, why..." Naruto said silently, causing everyone, especially Haku to stare at him. She looked away shamefully. When she first seen him training, she was debating on whether or not she should take him out. She never had the time as he called her out before she made her choice. At the end when she left, she knew she would regret facing him. This regret grew by every passing day. He was a nice, sincere person, something that seemed to be lacking in her life.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said sadly. Naruto's grips on his swords tightened as he lifted them up to block one Zabuza's strike's.

"Where's your sensei? Where's Kakashi Hatake?" Zabuza said wildly. Naruto still didn't look up at Zabuza but was struggling with the pressure of the force behind the strike. He looked up and Zabuza saw Naruto's cold, emotionless eyes staring at him.

"Why do you want him when you got... ME!" Naruto shoved Zabuza off as hard as he could. Then he jumped in the air and sent a spinning kick to Zabuza's chest. Zabuza took two steps back and ducked under Naruto's next arc. After that, he swung his own sword only to have it miss and have a strong right kick hit his chin. Zabuza flew back and fell down. Naruto went in for the kill but Zabuza turned into water and dissolved. Naruto looked around and a mist started to appear. Zabuza's laughter could be heard echoing through the mist and bridge.

"Pretty good brat, like I said, one day you might be able to be in my bingo book." Cold steel touched Naruto's neck as Zabuza spoke behind him. "Then again, you'll have to leave this fight alive." Zabuza didn't wait for a reply as he beheaded Naruto. Much to his surprise, a cloud of smoke engulfed Naruto and he disappeared. Zabuza cursed himself for falling for it before he felt a kunai bury itself into his calf. "Damn..."

Hinata was faring better than she thought she would with a Jonin. Then again, she was sure that the Jonin level rogue was probably toying with her.

"You are an impressive kuniochi, young lady. I'm afraid that won't be enough to defeat me though. In fact, I doubt you can even leave a scratch on me." Hikari then disappeared into the mist. Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked around for her, waiting for her to make her move. She made a sharp left and a kunai whizzed by. Hinata jumped in the air when Hikari's blade impacted on the ground Hinata was just standing on. But this is what Hikari wanted.

Hinata turned and was punched in the face by Hikari's left hook. Hinata hit the ground hard and recovered as quickly as possible. Hinata stood and watched as Shino held his ground against the Demon Brothers.

Shino ducked under a swift kick to the head by Gouzu and a dodge a left punch from Meizu. Shino knew of the poison both brothers had from his bugs. They sensed the impure concoction that were on their gloved claws. Shino tried to send his chakra-absorbing bugs onto the brothers but they both were too quick to actually plant one. Though that did not mean that he was having a hard time fighting the two brothers. On the contrary, he was actually the one delivering the hits.

After the fight started, Shino noticed that the Demon Brothers fought similarly like Kiba and Akamaru after Akamaru trasformed into Kiba. They would rush him and try to land a punch or kick or scratch. Shino was able to predict the two brothers' attacks and silently thanked God for his spars with Kiba and Akamaru.

The tides then turned when the mist enveloped Shino and his sight on the Demon Brothers. He heard their laughter and then felt them scratching him with their poisonous claws. He was thankful the bugs in his body were counter-acting the poison but there was only so much his bugs could take. Deciding on the only logical choice he could come up with, he stood still, waiting for his attackers to attack.

Gouzu, not suspecting Shino to retaliate, quickly went on the offensive and stabbed his claw through Shino's left shoulder. Shino smirked as he turned into a bunch of bugs and engulfed Gouzu. Meizu expeditiously went to his brother's aid but was too late as the bugs removed themselves from Gouzu and he lay there unconscious. Meizu was shocked by his brother's unmoving form and became very angry.

"How dare you!" He yelled as Shino appeared from the mist, favoring his left shoulder. Meizu charged after Shino, his eyes and body language screaming for Shino's blood. Shino dodged Meizu's jab and kneed him in the stomach. Meizu ignored the pain in his stomach and was able to leave a deep cut on Shino's left forearm. He recoiled and felt his bugs immediately working on the poison.

_'I can't take another hit... I can already feel my legs giving under me.'_Shino didn't get much time to finish his thoughts as he was brutally kick in the stomach, sent flying deeper into the mist. Meizu went into the mist to finish Shino of when he was stopped by what he saw.

Naruto wasn't fairing as well as he would've wished he was. Zabuza was only toying with Naruto. In terms of swordsmanship, they were almost on par, Zabuza having years of experience on his side. But Zabuza was superior to Naruto in terms of strength, tactics and speed, if only just a little in speed. Zabuza respected Naruto's skill and wondered how great the boy would turn out if he were to survive their encounter. Naruto watched as Zabuza remained still, staring at one another, waiting for one to make the first move, the first fatal mistake.

Having no more patience, both moved at the same time, preparing to swing their swords. Then it happened; the first fatal mistake was made. Naruto swung both his swords in a last minute decision and Zabuza jumped into the air, about to swing down and end Naruto. Naruto couldn't react fast enough to block it so he decided to at least move a little to the left. The Zabuza's blade sunk down on Naruto's right shoulder and Zabuza painfully yanked his sword out of his shoulder, making Naruto howler in pain.

"AHH!" Naruto fell down while supporting his shoulder. Zabuza smirked down at Naruto's fallen form, though he couldn't help but wonder how he wasn't dead.

"Interesting; most would've been sliced completely through but you somehow managed to keep that from happening." Naruto looked up at glared at Zabuza.

"I'm a very interesting person. For example..." A second Naruto jumped on the back of Zabuza, surprising him.

"What..."

"That is no ordinary clone, as you'll see right now..." Naruto jumped as far back as he could. "Boom!"

The clone exploded, taking Zabuza with him. When the smoke cleared, Naruto cursed as he saw a small puddle in the area where the clone exploded. Zabuza chuckled as Naruto turned around and saw that he didn't have a scratch on him. Naruto snarled before smirking. Zabuza was confused but then felt an incredible amount of chakra building up behind him. He looked behind him and saw Naruto with his fist pointing at him. Then fire and water started circling his fist, its spinning gradually increasing with each passing second.

"**Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!**" Zabuza's eyes widened and he turned back to see the Naruto he was facing before waved to him before turning into a cloud of smoke. Zabuza turned and jumped out of the way of the attack. Unfortunately for him, he was hit on the left leg as the attack went slightly to the left and into the air, avoiding the bridge and going two hundred feet into the air before exploding. Naruto kneeled down, panting, trying to catch his breath. That last attack almost completed him of his reserves.

Zabuza was quick to compose himself and ran to finish Naruto. As much as he liked the kid, Naruto was in his way of completing his mission. It would be around this time that Tazuna would come to work. They would've waited for them but the blasted woman wasn't patient enough to wait so she decided to draw their attention. Apparently it worked, just not what they had in mind.

As Zabuza moved closer to Naruto, he could vaguely hear the sound of birds chirping. Lightening suddenly struck the ground in font of Zabuza. He jumped back as the lightening revealed itself as Kakashi. Zabuza smirked, happy to finally be able to get some pay back. Kakashi removed his headband to show his infamous sharingan eye.

Kiba was in front of Shino while he made some hand signs.

"**Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!**" Kiba got on all fours and swiftly made his way to Meizu to rip him apart. Meizu parried Kiba's attack but didn't see the follow up right hook to his chin. Meizu flew into the air and righted himself before Kiba could take advantage of it but it was too late. Sasuke suddenly appeared over Meizu and axe kicked him on the head. Meizu then headed straight for the ground, face first but Sasuke wasn't finished. He grabbed Meizu's legs from behind and wrapped his legs around Meizu's neck. As they head for the concrete floor of the bridge, Sasuke gave on final yell.

"**Falcon Drop!**" Meizu head created a small crater as Sasuke got off him.

Hinata dodged another one of Hikari's attacks, which were becoming more and more aggressive. Hikari just smiled as she saw Hinata evade her attacks. Inside her, Hikari couldn't help but feel that this was wrong. She brushed them off as she saw Hinata trip and fall. Hikari moved in for the kill but was stopped by a large tree growing out of nowhere. She jumped back before the roots were able to grab her.

"Well what's this?" Hikari said pleasantly surprised. Kurenai morphed out of the tree and took out a kunai to spin on her finger. Kurenai just stared at the woman with disdain and yet recognition. Hikari seemed to remind her of someone but who was trivial at the moment.

"Hope you fight better than the brat there." Hikari said before rushing Kurenai. Kurenai stopped the kunai and put it up to block. She gasped at the force of Hikari's attack, causing a small smile to reach Hikari's lips. "Wasn't expecting that? Too ba..." Hikari stopped talking when a second kunai was stabbed into her abdomen. Hikari saw Kurenai's smirk while she said,

"Wasn't expecting that?" Kurenai said in a sarcastic tone. Hikari then poofed and Kurenai was left speechless.

_'Shadow Clone? but when...'_Kurenai ducked under Hikari's latest attack and they both continued their fight as Hinata watched in amazement. She stood up and looked around, byakugan active, seeing Kurenai fighting Hikari, Kakashi fighting Zabuza and Kiba and Sasuke standing over one of the Demon Brothers while Shino looked over the other brother. She tried to look for Naruto but he wasn't anywhere near her range. Her byakugan wasn't as developed as it should be, much to her and her father's disappointment.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata said solemnly but suddenly stood up. "I-I won't sit around hoping the people I care about get don't get hurt. I-I'm tired of it..." Hikari overheard Hinata's self-prep speech; Kurenai was listening too. Hinata then ran off, using her byakugan to its fullest extent. She spotted Naruto in the distance but she stopped running after seeing what Naruto was doing.

[*.*.*.*]

After Kakashi entered the fight, Naruto's been looking for Haku, hoping to get an explanation for her. He found her in the edge of the bridge, a thoughtful expression placed on her face. Naruto walked up to her and ducked after she threw a senbon needle at him.

"Why..." Naruto started, seeing as talking about the weather was a pointless way to start the conversation.

"Why what?" She said, trying not to break down. In the short time they spent together, they both knew a new bond of friendship formed in a matter of minutes. Naruto just wished it didn't form so quickly.

"Why are you helping Zabuza out? Why are you attacking an innocent village? Have you seen them, they're dirt poor, they need this bridge to prosper! I can't even walk into town without feeling bad. And now, I find out you're helping Zabuza make it worse. Why?" Naruto yelled. Haku stood up and faced Naruto. She removed her mask and Naruto could see that she had a passive face on, alone tear rolling down her cheeks.

"Because... I am only a tool for Zabuza-sama to use. I am what will help him achieve his dream, because that is what tools are used for." Haku said casually.

"But you're also human! You also have dreams and feelings. Why are you sacrificing your humanity to serve someone like Zabuza?" Haku looked down and told Naruto her story. How she discovered her kekkei genkai and when her father discovered it, he tried to kill her and her mother. Her mother was killed but Haku was able to kill her father before he did. She left and lived her days on the street. That is until the day arrived when she met Zabuza. After that, Zabuza's been training Haku and they developed a father/daughter relationship. Though he would never admit it. The little time she's spent with Hikari felt like what she thought it would feel like to have an older sister.

Naruto remained unmoving after he heard her story. Then the red haired woman came to mind.

"So what's with the Demon Brothers? And who's that red haired woman?"

"I'm not sure about the red haired woman. The Demon Brothers were from Kiri as well and I guess Zabuza-sama got them to join our little group. Zabuza-sama told me he knew the red haired woman from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. That's as much has he'd tell me." Naruto took a step closer to Haku, unnoticed by her. He took another one, still she was aware of it.

"So why haven't you attacked me then?" Haku flinched and formed a fist with her hands. Naruto took another step closer, close enough to wrap her in a hug. Haku stiffened under the hug, but soon relaxed. Naruto wondered if he'd been in the same position, if he would he have joined Zabuza? Haku hugged Naruto back, hoping that he would be able to forgive him.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't let you get in the way of Zabuza-sama's dream." Naruto's eyes widened as he felt a strong stinging sensation on his back. Haku had managed to summon needles and make them embed themselves on his back. Naruto started losing the feelings in his legs and fell to the ground. He looked up and saw maybe about a thousand needles floating above him and Haku. He looked at Haku's face and saw tears trailing down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry... **Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death!**" The needles rushed down and Naruto snapped his eyes closed, waiting for the pain to arrive. What he wasn't expecting was a shove. He opened his eyes and sees that Hinata had pushed him out of the way, taking the hit for him.

"Hinata-chan!" Hinata fell with a sickening thud as she made contact with the ground after a thousand needles embedded themselves into her body. Ignoring all the pain in his body, he stood and ran over to Hinata, praying she was not...

"Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan please wake up... Please, don't, DON"T CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Naruto yelled while he cradled Hinata's head with his arms. Hinata's eyes fluttered as she fought to stay conscious. She felt cold and knew it was no use, seeing as the world only grew darker.

"N-Naru... Naruto-kun..." Hinata said weakly. Tears started falling from Naruto's eyes; he closed them tight as he shook his head.

"Hinata, please don't go..." Hinata weakly brought her hand up and touched Naruto's mask. She brought it down and looked at his face, giving him a loving smile. This made Naruto's face to blush, if only a little. Hinata limply dropped her hand and her head tilted, her smile never leaving her face as she closed her eyes.

"I... I need you here... with me because... because I love you..." Naruto said, but Hinata loss consciousness before he even started speaking. Naruto felt a sudden pain he never felt before. He hugged Hinata once more before summoning Akio to take Hinata out of the fight.

"What? What do you think I am...?" Akio didn't get to finish as Naruto's red eyes locked on with his. He glared at the tiger.

"I thought you were supposed to help me. If that's so, then help me by taking her some place safe!" Akio nodded and picked Hinata up and walked into the denser parts of the mist. Naruto stood up, put his mask back on and remained still, much to Haku's surprise. Then, red chakra started traveling around Naruto's body, engulfing him like wildfire. All of Naruto's visible wounds were healed automatically. He turned his head and stared at Haku, who flinched under his gaze.

"You did this! You're the reason why she's dead! Why? WHY?" Naruto yelled. Haku looked down, not willing to answer him. "ANSWER ME DAMN IT, WHY?" As it would seem, Naruto anger dried away his tears, which mysterious evaporated before they could even leave his cheek. Naruto's hair was wilder and his nails were longer, and if she didn't know any better, she would think his canine teeth grew as well.

"I had to..."

"Lies!" Naruto yelled before disappearing and punching her in the gut. She flew back and righted herself as Naruto continued on his offensive. He kicked Haku's legs from behind, knocking her down. Naruto then sent a chakra powered axe kick to her ribs. Haku knew she wouldn't survive if she'd taken that hit so she rolled away and stood. She panted as she saw Naruto get out of the crater he created with his last attack.

"Fight back!" Naruto yelled as he charged at Haku again. Haku only waited as Naruto punched her in the face. The fact that she wasn't attacking only made Naruto furious. The red chakra started to seep out more and more.

'_**Kit, relax! The more use the more animalistic you become and I won't let you make a mockery of my power just because you cannot control your emotions.**_' Kyuubi said, trying to calm the young jinchuuriki. Unfortunately, Naruto just continued his attack as more of Kyuubi's chakra escaped their imprisonment.

A bit farther away, Hikari and Kurenai were both on the verge of dropping their things and giving up. Kurenai more so than Hikari. Hikari laughed though as she said Kurenai struggling to stay on one foot. Hikari picked up her blade for one last strike but stopped short when she felt a familiar shakra presence. She dropped her sword and grabbed her head in pain.

"No... Why... why does this happen now?" Hikari said, hoping to stop the pain. She felt this pain once before when she suddenly woke up in the middle of the woods twelve years ago. She kneeled down and held her head as the pain continued to torture her. Kurenai took this to her advantage as she threw her kunai at Hikari's head. Hikari blocked it with her sword which she grabbed to block the kunai while supporting her as she made to stand. Then something clicked in her head and the pain disappeared. She turned her head to the direction of the chakra and then disappeared. Kurenai tried to follow her but was stopped when she saw a tiger with red fur and black stripes walk by with Hinata on its back.

She ran over and the tiger quickly went on the defensive.

"What business do you have with my master's mate?" The tiger asked. Kurenai was surprised by the fact that it spoke, then she guessed by the fact that it spoke of a master that it was a summoning. But, who's his master and what does it mean by mate?

"I am Kurenai Yuhi and I'm responsible for your master's mate, as you stated." The tiger gave Kurenai a calculating stare before he continued to walk.

"I am sorry Yuhi but I cannot relinquish this girl to you. If you aren't who you say you are then I will lose my master's faith and trust in me by letting her get hurt. Please understand." The tiger didn't wait for Kurenai to reply as it started to run.

Kakashi was charging up his attack as Zabuza stood unmoving by Kakashi's dogs, making him drop the mist he created. Kakashi's chakra was suddenly visible and it crackled like lightening. Zabuza's eyes widened.

"How can your chakra be visible? That's impossible." He stated.

"This Zabuza is my original techinique. I summon a lot of my lightening-chakra to my hand and it starts to look like what you're looking at right now. When it's finished, I just simply run at you and jab my arm forward to your heart; ending you and your mission. Just face it, it's over." Suddenly, Kakashi and Zabuza could sense Kyuubi's chakra, though Kakashi was the one who panicked.

_'Damn, what timing...'_Kakashi thought before another problem happened. Gato and his men appeared on the other side of the bridge. Gato looked around and spotted Zabuza about to be finished off. He smirked and laughed at Zabuza.

"Well it seems that you are as worthless as I thought you were. Pathetic Zabuza, simply pathetic. You know what, I'm glad that other ninja's going to kill you because if he didn't I would've anyways." Zabuza couldn't believe how low Gato had gone. Sure he was planning on doing that to Gato but not until he got his money. Besides, he wasn't even done with the mission and yet he came to finish him off to make sure he wouldn't get paid. Kakashi gave him a look that asked what he was going to do.

"It seems we're no longer enemies Kakashi." Kakashi eye smiled; glad he didn't have to continue his fight with Zabuza.

"So it seems." Kakashi said while the dogs holding Zabuza disappeared. Zabuza picked up his sword that lay next to him and looked at Gato and his crowd with bloodlust. Kakashi just turned his attention to Naruto. Kakashi knew Zabuza could handle Gato and his men alone. he ran over to his teammates and told them that Zabuza was not an enemy anymore. Most were doubtful but nodded their heads. Kakashi then noticed two of their Genin were missing.

"Where's Hinata?" Kakashi asked Kurenai.

"This tiger had her on her back and told me that he had to take care of her because his master wanted her safe." Kakashi shook his head and stood up.

"Watch over them while I see how Naruto is fairing." Kakashi then ran in the direction of the mysterious chakra.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto continued to punch Haku but each punch grew less and less aggressive. Naruto jumped back and got down on his knees crying.

"Why… why won't you fight back? FIGHT BACK!" Naruto yelled but Haku just shook her head.

"I… I won't." Haku said. Naruto got up, a small fox cloak still surrounding him. He ran at Haku one last time to kick her in the gut when a sword blocked his kick. Naruto jumped back and unsheathed his swords. He charged again but all the red haired woman did was block, never fighting back.

"Now you won't fight back? Why? WHY DAMN IT?" Naruto screamed. Hikari just watched with a sad expression on her face and… and tears? This confused Naruto to no end, but this didn't stop him. In fact, he unconsciously applied Kyuubi's chakra to his sword, adding an enormous amount of pressure on the sword. Hikari could feel the strength and pressure with every swing and she knew it would only be a matter of time before they would crack. Naruto also knew this but he didn't care. He then heard his swords cracking and then they finally gave away under the pressure. He stood still as he watched his swords' blade fall into the floor into many pieces. He was visibly shaking as he stood, unaware of Hikari putting her sword down and walking towards him.

"You look so much like your father." Hikari said before enveloping Naruto in a warm hug. Naruto's eyes widened.

"My… My father?" Naruto asked, still not looking up, not trying to bring his hopes up. Hikari nodded her head and Haku walked up to Hikari.

"How do you know his father Hikari-san?" Hikari closed her eyes and sighed. She reopened them and looked up at the sky.

"I know because… I'm his mother." Naruto tensed under Hikari's hug and back off. He looked at her in the eyes with hope, betrayal and rage.

"My mother? You're my mother?" Hikari nodded her head.

"Then where the hell have you been? Do you know what kind of hell I had to go through because I was alone most of my life and was seen as the 'demon child' of Konoha? I didn't have someone to hold me in the middle of the night when I had a nightmare. And you'll love this; I didn't have someone to protect me when drunken villagers thought they could be heroes because they would finally slay the 'demon'." Naruto said, letting his suppressed anger out. Hikari just enveloped Naruto in another hug, this time a lot harder. Naruto then felt something wet hit his face. He looked up and saw Hikari crying.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I know I can never provide an excuse that'll make you forgive me. I can't even forgive myself…" Hikari didn't finish because she was shocked by Naruto's actions. He hugged her back and cried.

"Please, stop… It's ok…" Naruto said sobbingly. No matter how angry he was, he just didn't want his mother to cry. He wasn't so sure if he should believe her but seeing how sincere she was, it appeared like he could. Haku just watched the heart-warming moment and then noticed Kakashi running in their direction. When he arrived, he stopped and looked wide-eyed at Hikari.

"Y-You… but we thought…"

"Ahh Kakashi, long time no see." Hikari said. Naruto looked at his sensei, then at his mother, then at Kakashi again.

"You two know each other?" Naruto asked.

"Yes Naruto. In fact, Kakashi was a student of your father's." Naruto looked at his sensei in confusion.

"You were?" Kakashi nodded his head. Hikari then had a thought.

"In fact, you were not only his student, but some what a son. You were there when I was in the hospital giving birth Naruto until you were called off weren't you?" Kakashi again nodded his head; he knew where this would lead. He really hoped that it wouldn't but it was unavoidable now.

"That means you knew who I was… You knew my father and in the month or so I've been in this team, you never once thought about mentioning it to me?" Kakashi didn't answer; he just looked at the ocean and remained quiet.

"That's how it is sensei? Fine, I understand." Kakashi looked at Naruto one last time before Naruto disappeared in a small whirlwind. Kakashi watched him go and silently cursed himself for not telling him, though he just couldn't think of a way to bring it up. How could you bring up a conversation pertaining to who your father was without having one or both parties involved in the conversation overreacting.

"Should we follow him?"

"No Kushina, let's just let him deal with it. I know he doesn't trust me anymore." Kakashi said. Kushina just placed a hand on her hip and smirked.

"Let's see how it'll go with me. You got everything handled here?" Kakashi looked back and saw Zabuza obliterating Gato's men and a group of the towns people heading to protect their town.

"Yeah." Kushina then disappeared as well. Haku walked up to Kakashi.

"So, what will happen now?" She said passively. Kakashi looked at Haku, then at Zabuza.

"Let's wait until everything is taken care of."

[*.*.*.*]

It was midnight by now, but Naruto didn't care. He sat alone under the uncompleted bridge while thought about the day's events. There was the fact that there was a good chance Hinata was dead. Naruto's tears still fell at that thought. He had managed to tell the girl his feelings but it was only after she lost consciousness. Naruto continually applied Kyuubi's chakra to his chakra he had in his hand and made the fox fire. He then threw it up in the air and let it explode, low enough not to attract attention to him.

He had been under the bridge the whole day so he was able to tell Gato and his had been dealt with. Not only because of Zabuza, but because of Inari rounding up the towns people to help fight Gato off. Naruto felt a small amount of happiness and pride before it disappeared into nothingness when his thoughts returned to Hinata's condition. He had many things to think about. His mother had been looking for him but apparently, she couldn't find him. He was grateful for that.

His mother was alive and she cared about him. He always thought she, along with his father, abandoned him because of Kyuubi. But now he realized that she wasn't even in the same place he was in. And even if that wasn't enough, her reaction was surely more than enough. No way would a mother react like that after seeing her child for the first time in a long time if she had abandoned him. He was genuinely happy that his mother did in fact love him and cared for him, he truly was.

It was the fact his own sensei knew who his father was and didn't even tell him about it; that's what led Naruto to believe that his sensei couldn't be trusted.

He once again did the fox fire and threw it into the air to explode. But no matter how many times he wanted to think about his mother and his sensei's betrayal, Hinata's motionless body kept appearing in his head. He heard footsteps behind him but he didn't care, he just waited for the person to reveal themselves so he could tell them he wanted to be alone. Though the voice was not one he was expecting to hear.

"Naruto-kun…" Naruto swiftly stood up and looked behind him and there she was, Hinata was behind him, looking almost like she wasn't even touched. A few bandages here and there but nothing too serious. Naruto started walking towards Hinata before he brought her in for a huge hug. Hinata blushed and was unresponsive until she heard Naruto sobbing.

"Naruto kun, what's wrong?" She asked. Naruto stifled his sobs and replied.

"There's a lot going on Hinata, I just can't handle all of it. I found out the red haired woman who attacked you was my own mother. That and Kakashi-sensei knew who my father was and never told me. And to top it all off, I thought you died." Naruto said through his sobs.

"You… you thought I was dead?" Hinata asked, somewhat surprised he cared that much.

"Yes Hinata, you didn't move after you lost consciousness which I apparently mistook for death. I felt horrible Hinata, I felt like I died as well." Naruto said sadly. Hinata didn't reply to his words, nor could she because of the shock she was going through. Naruto really cared about her, in a deeper level than she thought he did. Naruto, unknown to either of them, pulled Hinata's body closer to his and didn't let her go. Hinata didn't notice this and even if she did, she wouldn't mind. Naruto needed her and she would put Naruto above all else. So finally getting over her initial shock, she hugged him back just as hard and she quietly whispered to Naruto caring assurances that everything will turn out fine.

They remained like that for a while before Naruto pulled back his head and stared at Hinata. He looked at her lavender moons she called eyes with love and appreciation. Hinata stared into his eyes and was mesmerized by its color and its emotion. Naruto then pulled down his mask and brought his head closer to Hinata's. By now, Hinata was wondering why Naruto's eyes were suddenly getting closer until she felt his lips lightly touch hers. Hinata's whole body tensed up, which Naruto felt causing him to back off Hinata. He took two steps back before turning his whole body.

"I-I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I… I don't know what came over me." Naruto pulled his mask up and disappeared into the night. Hinata didn't get over her shock until Naruto left and even then she still didn't move. She just brought a hand up to her lips.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Naruto said as he appeared in the clearing he usually went to secretly train and started pounding his head in.

"Be careful son, any harder and I think you'll be able to knock yourself out." Kushina said as she sat back on a tree branch and watched the stars. Naruto looked up surprised but then relaxed and sat down in the middle of the clearing.

"Yeah yeah." Naruto said, earning him a painful punch to the head. "OW!"

"I may have just remembered being your mother but that doesn't mean you can run your mouth off on me." Kushina said as she sat down next to her son. Naruto watched as she sat down adjacent to him and looked at the stars. Kushina smiled when she saw her son look at the stars too.

"You like watching the stars too?" Kushina said. From the corner of her eye, she could see Naruto nod his head. "I did it all the time back then, especially with your father." Naruto immediately drew his attention to Kushina.

"Can… can you tell me what he was like?" Naruto pleaded. Kushina sighed as she looked at Naruto.

"Well, he was a very sexy man, in fact, his stamina and strength was very impressive considering all the time we spent in his room…"

"Mom!" Naruto yelled, interrupting her mother from giving him information he really didn't want to know. Kushina just laughed.

"He was an honourable man Naruto. Quiet, strong, intelligent, caring, and any more words similar to those, I could go on. We didn't get along the first time we met, we actually hated each other. Soon, I started to open up to him and he started opening up to me and that's when I started to like your father, even before he became famous. As time moved on, I just couldn't stop thinking about him and he made me nervous when he was near. One day, I just randomly confessed my love to him and he happened to have the same feelings. I gotta say Naruto, I was nervous as hell. I didn't know what he would say or even if he would accept my feelings." Kushina paused and Naruto remained speechless through the entire thing.

"I was a lucky one Naruto. The one I love loved me back, if anything, more than I did. That was the second happiest moment of my life. Not the happiest day because that day was a crappy one. On my way to tell him, I tripped over some guy's foot and fell into a puddle of mud. As I got up a random guy groped me and I just beat the crap out of him. My hair was a mess and I was muddy so I decided to go into a river to clean myself instead of walking all the way to my apartment. That's where I saw your father practicing and I thought 'It's now or never.' After I told him, he hugged me and then kissed me, making it the second happiest moment of my life." Kushina hugged Naruto and held him in her arms.

"If that was the second happiest moment of your life, what's the first?" Naruto asked, genuinely interested. Kushina kissed Naruto's forehead and answered.

"It was the day the doctor told your father and I you were a boy." She said lovingly. Naruto gasped and then smiled. He hugged his mother tightly as she did too. After a while, Naruto spoke again.

"By the way, you never told me who my father is."

"That's right. Well Naruto, your father was a very famous man. If I hadn't snatched him up, his fan girls would've. Your father was none other than Konoha's Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, The Fourth Hokage." Kushina announced proudly. Naruto was shocked to hear his father was the Fourth Hokage, the greatest Hokage to have ever existed. Then his shock turned into anger.

"You mean to tell me the man who sealed Kyuubi in me was my own father?" Naruto asked, getting out of his mother's hug. Kushina looked at Naruto with sorrow.

"I'm not sure but I think so. I was knocked out during Kyuubi's attack so I wouldn't know. He told me he had to do something for the village. As far as I know, he could've taken you to a day-care. I was overstressed with giving birth to you I barely had the faintest idea what was going on. When I did, I decided to help out the village until…" Kushina stopped and looked at her son.

"Did you ever meet a man with white long hair?" Naruto shook his head, which angered Kushina to no end, but decided she'd deal with it another time.

"Anyways Naruto, please don't be upset because of what your father did. If I know he like I think I do, he must've given up his life for the life of everyone in the village." Naruto nodded his head again, both in understanding and to back up Kushina's assumption. She sighed as she looked back up at the sky. Then an evil smirk appeared on her lips, going unnoticed by Naruto.

"Hey Naruto?" Kushina said. Naruto looked up and saw her evil smile, which frightened him.

"Y-Yes mom?"

"Do you have a girlfriend yet?" She asked slyly. Naruto blushed under his mask and looked away.

"N-No." Naruto admitted sheepishly. Haku, who has been off looking for Naruto happened to arrive right when Kushina asked him that question.

"Well you know…" Kushina said, looking at the tree Haku was in and winked. "Haku isn't seeing anyone." Haku almost fell off the tree she was in. Kushina just gave her a thumbs up and smiled. Luckily, Naruto didn't notice any of these actions; he was too embarrassed to think straight at this point.

"N-No thanks mom. I-I already like a girl." Naruto said meekly, very odd coming from him.

"Who is it?" Haku said, coming out of hiding. She already knew of his love for the raven-haired girl but he just wanted to hear him say it.

"Yeah, come on, tell us!" Kushina said. Naruto reluctantly told them of Hinata. How they met, how good friends they've become, Kakashi's bell test and how he screwed the whole thing up with what he did earlier.

"And now I'm afraid to even see her because she might not like me that way." Naruto ended unhappily. Kushina and Haku looked at each other, wondering if he was exaggerating or just being negative. After a moment of silence Naruto wanted to change the subject.

"So mom, now that you know I'm your son… will you becoming home?" Kushina looked at the stars, hoping they would be willing to give her an answer. Before she was able to provide one, the three heard someone approaching and saw Hinata jumping down from one of the trees surrounding the clearing. Naruto's eyes widened and he was starting to get nervous. Hinata looked just as nervous and looked at Naruto.

"Uhm, Naruto-kun, can I t-talk to you… alone?" Hinata asked timidly. Naruto got over his shock and nodded his head. He got up and told his mother goodnight before following Hinata deeper into the woods. Kushina let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

_'Am I really willing to go back to Konoha after what my son told me?'_ Kushina thought.

* * *

**That's chapter 8, hoped you like it...**

**Now comes the question...**

**How many of you want Kushina/Hikari to return to Konoha with Naruto?**

**How many of you want Kushina/Hikari to no go with Naruto and stay with Zabuza, Haku and the Demon Brothers?**

**The choice is up to you, whether you want to join in is completely up to you...**

**Next Chapter: New changes and surprises!  
**

**So goodbye and good luck with whatever!**


	9. New changes and surprises!

**Hey there guys, this is chapter 9 if you didn't know...**

**So, there were some of you who wanted Kushina to go back with Naruto, some who didn't want her to return, and my guess is that those who didn't say which didn't really care...**

**Well, now we'll see what choice I went with...**

**Chapter 9: ****New changes and surprises!**

**Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

"_Uhm, Naruto-kun, can I t-talk to you… alone?" Hinata asked timidly. Naruto got over his shock and nodded his head. He got up and told his mother goodnight before following Hinata deeper into the woods. Kushina let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes._

'_Am I really willing to go back to Konoha after what my son told me?' Kushina thought._

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata was walking through the woods, holding Naruto's hand, which was a miracle in itself in Naruto's mind. They walked and walked, not saying a word but their minds racing with thoughts. Hinata was surprised she didn't faint yet but knew if she lost her focus she probably will. Naruto on the other hand, was nervous as he'll ever be. Under the moon light, Hinata was looking extra beautiful and Naruto was starting to go insane. In all his time he's been near Hinata, his urge to kiss her has never been as stronger as it was now.

They finally stopped in a lake that Naruto's never seen before. A certain memory made Hinata's blushed deepened as she sat near the lake, looking up at the moon. Naruto sat down, next to her and watched the moon as well. He was patiently waiting for Hinata to start talking, though it took a lot longer than he wanted it to.

Hinata was just thinking about where to start. Should she start with her confession or ask about his kiss? If she confesses and Naruto's kiss was just a one-time thing, she would be devastated. Hinata's own self-doubt was something that haunted her every day. She would've confessed to Naruto before during the academy but his fan-girls weren't helping out so much. Her father wasn't so helpful either, all that training and negative comments really took their toll on her self-esteem and self-image. Out of all the girls in her class, she thought she was the least appealing and the last one to get a boyfriend.

As these thought raced on in Hinata's head, the little confidence she had to talk to Naruto alone disappeared and she stood up. Naruto's stargazing was interrupted when she stood and wondered what she was going to do.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto-kun..." Naruto was about to ask what she was sorry about when he remembered their kiss and it saddened him.

"I-I don't r-remember what I w-was going to ask y-you. I-I hope you can forgive me for w-wasting your time." Hinata said, trying to hold back her own tears but to no avail. Naruto noticed that and stood up and walked over to Hinata.

"Hinata-chan, why are you crying?" Naruto asked as he gently pulled Hinata's face up. Hinata looked at Naruto's eyes and were enchanted by them before she blinked and backed away from Naruto. "Hinata-chan?"

"I'm not good enough Naruto-kun." Hinata said, breaking down. Of course, Naruto was confused by this but didn't stop him from comforting his friend; the word friend echoing in his head.

"What do you mean Hinata-chan? Not good enough for what?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked up at Naruto, her tears leaving trails on her cheeks.

"For anything! I'm not pretty, I'm not smart, and I'm not..." She stopped when she felt warm lips lightly pressed against her own. Her eyes widened before she closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and kissed him back. Naruto was surprised by this but didn't think too much of it. He was glad he pulled his mask down before he kissed her because it would've ruined the whole kiss. They both parted for air and Naruto spoke before Hinata would ask him anything.

"Don't talk like that Hinata. Please don't, I don't like to hear you talk like that." Naruto pleaded. Hinata was shocked.

"Naruto-kun, what...?"

"Listen to me Hinata-chan; I... have something to tell you." Naruto took a deep breath before exhaling it. "Hinata-chan, it's true what you said; you're not pretty, or smart or whatever else you were going to say." Hinata was hurt and wanted to die, that was until Naruto spoke again.

"You are better than all those things. You are not pretty because you are beautiful. You're not smart because you are extremely intelligent. You're not whatever you were going to say because you are better than that."

Hinata couldn't talk. Naruto just told her all of this, and she just couldn't believe it. Her crush, the boy of her dreams, just told her she was beautiful, intelligent and much more. It was like a dream come true.

"I want you to know something Hinata-chan. I... well when I told you about me thinking that you were dead, I didn't mention one thing. After you lost consciousness... I... I said I love you..." Naruto let Hinata go and stood back. He had his back turned to her and held his head down. He didn't want to see her reaction to the news, let alone hear it. Hinata, for her part, didn't faint yet, which was incredible really. She registered what Naruto told her and she blushed a deeper shade of red.

"But I was foolish to think someone as great as you would ever want to go out with an outcast orphan like me." Naruto said crescent fallen. Hinata still didn't move and when she did, it was to bring her hand over her mouth. Next thing she knew, she was hugging Naruto from behind. Naruto was surprised by her sudden action.

"H-Hinata-chan?"

"I love you Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelled, this time, Naruto was completely shocked, he didn't even breathe. Naruto wanted to turn and hug her back. He wanted to kiss her until one of them passed out from lack of air. He wanted to hold her and make sure nothing would hurt her. But he couldn't, his body just didn't want to move and his mind shut down. Hinata didn't get a reaction out of him and wondered what was wrong. She released him and moved in front of him. Naruto felt cold for a second before realizing Hinata was standing in front of him.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Are you telling me the truth Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked seriously. Hinata just hugged Naruto again and did something she never thought she'd be able to do… She kissed him. Naruto was the one who remained unresponsive until something snapped in his head and kissed Hinata back with all of his passion.

"I am Naruto-kun. I had a crush on you the day after you saved me from the Kumo ninja's second attempt to capture me. From that day on, it progressed until I realized that I didn't simply have a crush on you, I loved you." Hinata said, her stutter nowhere to be heard. Naruto was speechless. He couldn't understand how someone could be as patient as Hinata has been.

"You… You liked me for that long?" Naruto asked incredulously and watched as Hinata nodded her head timidly. "But… But how can you be so sure?"

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"I mean, how can you be sure you love me? I didn't figure out I loved you until I thought you were going to die. The emptiness and heartache I felt only encouraged that fact that I love you. How can you be sure?" Hinata sat down and motioned Naruto to sit beside her. He sat near her and she leaned on him, her head rested on his shoulder as she looked up at him. He blushed, causing Hinata to giggle, making Naruto's heart quicken its pace.

"Because Naruto, my mom explained to me what love is. She told me love is a feeling you get when you're with someone special to you." Hinata grabbed Naruto's arm and made it wrap around her waist, much to Naruto's pleasure.

"She told me that you cherish this person above everyone else. That every moment with the person is like heaven and the moments spent apart is like hell. You would even go so far as to die for that person... And that's how I feel Naruto-kun. That's how I feel about you." Hinata said, giving Naruto a sweet and loving smile. Naruto heard the honesty in her words and saw the love in her eyes. He had no doubt in his mind that she wasn't laying… and also that he felt the same.

"I feel the same way Hinata-chan, I swear I do." Naruto told her before claiming her lips once again. Hinata's sweet, soft lips were heaven to Naruto. No amount of free ramen or the acceptance of his village was better than what he was doing at that moment. Hinata had never felt so happy before in her life. After her mother's death, Hinata didn't think it was possible to feel such happiness like the happiness she was feeling at the moment.

Naruto laid back against the ground, bring Hinata with him. They both lay on the cold ground as the moon shined brightly over them. When they finally parted, Naruto gave one last kiss to Hinata's forehead before he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Hinata-hime." Naruto said, holding Hinata closer to his body. Hinata smiled at what Naruto said and snuggled his chest with her cheek before going to sleep.

"Goodnight Naruto-kun." With that, both fell asleep, both dreaming of a better tomorrow with the ones in their arms.

"That's so sweet! My son's a charmer, just like Minato was." Kushina said as she and Haku watched the two genius sleep in each other's arms. Haku held a small smile on her face. "Don't be upset Haku-chan; I'm sure there's someone out there for you." Kushina comforted while patting her back. Haku smiled at Kushina and nodded.

"I'm sure of it too Kushina-san."

[*.*.*.*]

As the days progressed, so did Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai training. With Zabuza and Kushina, as every calls her; they trained Naruto and helped improve his swordsmanship, granted they did have him use replacement swords seeing as he broke his old ones. Everyone else had been able to successfully do the tree climbing exercise and was now sparring. While half the teams still protected Tazuna, the other half trained or rested.

On this particular day, Naruto was training on his reflexes as Haku threw her senbon needles, aiming to disable the young Genin. Haku has been having internal conflicts with herself since the night she saw Naruto and Hinata confess their love for each other. She didn't know what she was feeling but it was a negative emotion, one she did not want to deal with. The training with Naruto was not helping her emotions stay in line. It became even worse when he removed his shirt. Every emotion she felt was starting civil war within her and it took every ounce of her will power to not charge Naruto and kiss him.

Haku blushed at that thought; she never knew she could even think like that. She stopped throwing her senbon needles and thought for a while. Naruto wondered why Haku suddenly stopped throwing her senbon

"Hey Haku, what happened?" Naruto yelled, bring Haku out of her thoughts. She looked on and still didn't do anything. Naruto sighed as he walked over to Haku.

"Haku, what happened? Why did you stop throwing senbon at me?" As weird as that sounded, Naruto needed to know, it's in his nature to be curious. Haku's hand then shot off and quickly removed his mask and she slammed her lips onto his. Naruto didn't even get enough time to react; he had his eyes wide open and didn't move. Haku had her eyes closed and for a moment, she felt sweet and utter bliss. Naruto regained his equanimity and back away from Haku.

"What the hell Haku?" Haku broke down and cried into her hands.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto. I couldn't help it. I… I just don't know what I'm feeling anymore." Haku said in between sobs. Zabuza and Kushina, both of which were supervising the training could say nothing at the moment. Both were too shocked to add anything to the conversation. When Kushina finally did regain her composure, she held Haku and told Naruto to head for the house. She also told Zabuza to go with him.

"No way." Zabuza replied. He suddenly felt Kushina's killer intent. Of course it didn't scare him; though he did note that he shouldn't anger a woman. "Fine, let's go brat."

"Listen eyebrows I got a name!" Naruto yelled, seeming to have overcome his shock quite quickly. They could be heard arguing as they continued their path to Tazuna's home.

"Ok now Haku-chan, I want you to explain what you meant." Kushina asked.

Kiba, Hinata and Sasuke sat outside Tazuna's house and watched the waves of the ocean rush out of the water, only to hit the shore and dissolve. Kiba sat too close to Hinata for her comfort. Sasuke just leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes.

"So Hinata, how have you been?" Kiba said nonchalantly as he put his arm around her shoulder. Hinata tensed up and just wanted to back away. Unfortunately, she was sitting at the edge of the bench and her only exit was to climb over Kiba, which was something she didn't want to do.

"Uhm… I-I've been ok Kiba…" Kiba leaned down until his mouth was mere centimeters near Hinata's ear.

"I can help you become… better." Kiba said lowly. Hinata involuntarily shivered at his tone. Kiba then moved his head near Hinata and almost planted a kiss on her lips until something stopped him.

It was the sudden killer intent coming from across the lawn. When Kiba looked up he saw a furious looking Naruto standing next to an intimidating Zabuza. Zabuza had a smirk on his face as he saw the dog boy sweat and cower under Naruto's killer intent. Zabuza was starting to like the boy more and more with each passing day.

"What do you think you're doing Kiba?" Naruto said calmly, making Kiba flinch. Kiba composed himself after Naruto lightened up his killer intent. Kiba stood up and walked up to Naruto. Hinata and Sasuke watched in interest, wanting to see how it would all turn out.

"What is there a problem?" If Zabuza had an eyebrow, he would've cocked it by now. He wasn't told in full detail but he had heard of Naruto and Hinata confessing their love for each other. Now the mutt had basically challenged the brats' feelings. A wicked smile appeared under his bandages and Zabuza watched on in amusement.

"Yes there is dog-breath."

"It's not like she's your girlfriend." Naruto was about to retort but couldn't. Kiba was right, Naruto and Hinata spent more time together but they never brought the subject up. That didn't mean that they were a couple did it? Deciding to find out whether or not they were together, Naruto appeared in front of Hinata in a blink of an eye; holding her hand and giving her a serious look.

"Hinata, would you like to go out with me?" Naruto asked. Hinata didn't hesitate as she kissed Naruto in the lips, once again much to Kiba's disappointment.

"Yes Naruto, I would." Naruto and Hinata hugged, Naruto forgetting his anger and Hinata momentarily forgetting her shyness. Momentarily being the key word, as she fainted five seconds later in Naruto's arms. Naruto sighed before picking Hinata up and carrying her into the house.

[*.*.*.*]

The day the bridge was completed was the day of great relief to everyone, including Zabuza. As they made their way across the bridge, Inari stopped Naruto to talk to him.

"Naruto, I just want to say… Thank you. Thank you for giving me and the town hope again and I'm sorry about how I acted when we first met." Naruto smiled down at Inari and ruffled his hair.

"No problem Inari and remember, I wasn't the only one who fought here." Inari looked at the rest of Naruto's group and smiled. Naruto then re-joined his group and they walked on. While they did so, a town's person yelled out.

"So what are we going to call the bridge?"

Tazuna replied,

"The Great…" But Inari had other ideas.

"The Great Ninja Bridge." Inari said, causing many of the people to agree. Tazuna ruffled Inari's hair and smiled.

"The Great Ninja Bridge huh? That sounds like a great name."

Back with Team Kakashi, Team Kurenai and Team Kushina, which was a controversial name on Zabuza's part, walked in peace and quiet. Kiba didn't say a word since losing Hinata to Naruto, Hinata was enjoying the piggy-back ride Naruto was giving her; Sasuke was ignoring Sakura's pleas to do the same. After her talk with Kushina, Haku learned that she didn't like Naruto, just wanted to be comforted the same way he had comforted Hinata. Kushina, Zabuza, Kakashi and Kurenai were all talking about what they had planned and what to do. The Demon Brothers, well, they were just bored.

Suddenly, Team Kushina stopped, grabbing everyone else's attention.

"Well, this is where we part… for now." Zabuza said. Haku and The Demon Brothers walked up to him but Haku didn't go with them.

"Haku?" Zabuza asked. Haku looked away before looking back at Zabuza.

"I was actually wondering Zabuza-sama, if you'd let me go with Naruto and the rest of them to Konoha?" Haku pleaded. Zabuza snarled but still thought about it. Kushina then came behind him and slapped him on the back.

"Come on eyebrows, let the girl go." Zabuza snarled once more.

"Fine, but I better not find out you've been slacking on your training Haku." Haku hugged Zabuza one last time, the only difference being that Zabuza hugged her back. Zabuza glared at everyone when he heard a chorus of 'Aw', and hurriedly left with the Demon Brothers; glad to be free of the teary-eyed expressions. When Kushina didn't go either, Naruto couldn't have been happier.

"So you're going home with us mom?" Naruto asked. Kushina just shrugged and started following after Team Kakashi and Kurenai as they made their way to Konoha. During their trip, somehow, Naruto's broken swords came up, causing Kushina to stop.

"Naruto, what was so special about your swords anyways?" Kushina asked. Naruto explained how they were created during his yearlong training with Amir. He also explained that the metal used to make the sword was not found in Konoha, but instead in Amir's home land. He told them that it would probably take a month to reach it. Kushina thought about the situation before coming to a decision.

"Listen Naruto, How about we go to that place and get you some new swords? I'm sure we'll be fine by ourselves, and your team can probably handle two to three months without you." Kushina said. Naruto thought about his mother's offer seriously. The bright side was that he would be able to form a stronger bond with his mother and have new swords. The down side: he wasn't going to see Hinata for over two months.

Hinata noticed his thoughtful expression and the way he kept looking at her. She knew what he was thinking and why he hadn't gave Kushina his answer.

"It's ok Naruto-kun, please go with you mother to get new swords, I'll be ok. We'll be ok." Hinata said, hold Naruto's hands. Naruto took another second before nodding his head. He then lifted Hinata's hands up and kissed them. Hinata blushed at his gesture and it deepened when Naruto kissed her with everyone watching. He broke it off, much to her disappointment, which was evident on her face. Naruto chuckled and hugged Hinata one more time before going with his mother in the opposite direction of Konoha.

Hinata watched in sorrow as Naruto walked further away from her. She then felt a hand touch her shoulder; she looked up and saw that it was Kakashi-sensei.

"Don't worry about him Hinata; I'm sure he'll come back in one piece." Kakashi said, trying to comfort the love-struck Genin. Haku placed her hand on Hinata's other shoulder as well.

"Yes Hinata, I'm also sure he will return." Hinata nodded her head and they continued their walk back to Konoha.

[*.*.One month later.*.*]

Naruto and Kushina arrived at the weapons smith's house Naruto told her he went to when he first arrived. In the entire month, they walked and walked until they were tired of walking, then they would spar, or Kushina would train him. When they didn't feel like doing either, they both talked about their past. Sometimes Hinata would come up, and Kushina could only listen with glee as he talked non-stop about the girl.

"Hey old man, you still here?" Naruto yelled. A man with brown hair, blue eyes, a moustache and beard appeared from inside the small shack he lived in. He wore a sleeveless muscle shirt, and long pants, with a studded leather apron, and armbands. In retrospect, this man was very intimidating, and should have been shown the proper respect; a fact which didn't escape an apprehensive Kushina. However, one good look at Naruto and his face lit up with joy; allaying her fears immediately.

"Ah Naruto, my good friend, what brings you to my humble abode?" The giant man said while he offered the two travellers some shelter. Kushina was still wary of the giant man but entered his home after Naruto.

"Well, I have horrible news, my swords were damaged beyond repair and I was hoping a man of your stature would be able to make me a new one." Naruto asked. The giant man looked at Naruto with a calculating stare.

"I don't know Naruto, the sword I made you was difficult to make, and the metal alone is pretty pricey. Do you have enough money to pay for it and my services?" Yaiba Tsukurite, the giant man, asked. Naruto tensed after he remembered that he gave all of his money to the small girl and her mother. He hung his head in defeat.

"No." Naruto replied. Kushina was not about to let their trip here about be wasted because of the lack of money, so she took out almost all her money and gave it to Yaiba.

"Is that enough?" Kushina asked impatiently. Yaiba counted the money and then smiled.

"With this, I could be able to make your sword ten times stronger than it was before." Yaiba stood up, leaving an excited Naruto and a flabbergasted Kushina in his living room. "You may stay here as you wait for your sword to be made Naruto. It will take me a day or two for me to make it so make yourselves at home."

"Thank you mom!" Naruto yelled as one thought consumed Kushina's thoughts.

'I wasn't expecting him to take it all!'

Back in Konoha, Hinata and Sasuke were waiting for Kakashi to arrive at their training spot. Three hours later Kakashi arrived, but not alone.

"Hello guys." Kakashi greeted, Haku following behind. Hinata and Sasuke noticed this but thought nothing of it.

"You're late." Sasuke stated.

"Sorry but I got lost in the road of life." Kakashi excused lamely.

"You a-already used that one K-Kakashi-sensei…" Hinata said.

"Besides, I thought Naruto told you to take a map last time." Sasuke added making Hinata sadden by the fact Naruto was still gone. Kakashi noticed this so he changed the subject.

"Anyways, I called you here because I want to introduce to you your replacement for Naruto, Haku." Kakashi said, making Hinata trip over her own feet and Sasuke to cock an eyebrow.

"B-But Kakashi-sensei… It's not like Naruto-kun will be gone forever." Hinata said fearfully, hoping she wouldn't have to eat her own words later.

"That's true Hinata but this is only temporary. Haku will be promoted to Chunin when Naruto returns. Until then, you three will be working together and taking on D-rank missions." Everyone, Haku included, sweat dropped. Kakashi watched his team's reaction and eye smiled.

"Great, now come on, I'm sure Tora has escaped by now." This in turn caused his team to groan. "I love being in charge." Kakashi commented.

About a week later, Hinata suddenly gets a bad feeling. A feeling that tells her something happened to Naruto, something bad. She didn't know what, but she prayed he would be ok.

[*.*.One month and a half later.*.*]

Iruka Imino, teacher and Chunin to his wonderful village, the Village Hidden in the Leaf. Today though, he wasn't a teacher. No, today, Iruka was a normal Chunin who was assigned to guard the front gates with fellow Chunin Kotetsu Hagane. It was pretty uneventful; some merchants came into the village to sell their products and a couple of tourist entered as well. Iruka sighed as he lay back on his chair as he thought back to last year's graduating class. Specifically, one blond haired masking wearing kid.

Iruka had heard of his C-rank mission turn A-rank and when Kakashi returned, they told him that Naruto didn't arrive with him though another girl did. When he asked Kakashi where Naruto was, Kakashi told him it was a secret, so Iuka's patience had been firm, until five weeks ago when it had begun to slip – his self-control dwindling.

In the far distance, a figure was limply making its way closer to Konoha. They seemed to be dragging something, and were wearing a black cloak that covered every part of their body; not even their face visible. The person seemed determined to arrive to Konoha, not stopping for anything while keeping a constant pace. As close as the person was, he or she was still a fair distance away from entering Konoha.

The person cursed and continued to whine about their luck. The person then heard the sounds of ninja's jumping in the background. It turned and waved to get their attention.

A silver haired man who wore a mask over his face with the usual Konoha jounin attire jumped out of the trees. Followed by a solemn boy with raven hair, a blue shirt with the Uchiha symbol on it and white pants. Also there was a girl with long brown hair tied in a pony-tail, a light blue Chinese shirt and blue ANBU pants and another girl. She had midnight blue hair, a thick tan sweater and dark blue Capri pants.

The silver haired jounin stepped in front of his group.

"Do you need help ma'am?" The jounin said.

"Cut the crap Kakashi and help me get back to Konoha." The cloaked person said weakly and by the sound of its voice, was a lady.

"Oh? And who might you be?" The cloaked woman fell on one knee and used the huge thing she was dragging, which was a huge sword, to help support her. Kakashi's eyes widened with recognition.

"Kushina?" Kakashi asked as he removed the hood Kushina wore. Her face was devoid of all emotions except despair and pain.

"Kushina what's wrong and where's Naruto?" Kakashi said urgently. Hinata quickly walked over to Kushina and helped her up.

"He's..." Kushina fainted, she was low in chakra and her heartbeat was starting to weaken. Kakashi picked her up and Team Kakashi dashed for Konoha's hospital.

A day later, Kushina awoke to the sounds of an irritating beeping. She just wished it would stop so she could go back to sleep. She cracked open one eye and saw a white ceiling. She wondered why she saw this since she didn't even remember going to sleep. In fact, she didn't even remember what happened after...

Kushina shot upright and looked around, looking for a specific someone. She started to panic and she just wanted to scream. Instead, she did the next best thing; she picked up her giant sword and started wildly swinging. She sliced all wires, all tubes, and all screens in half, and would've cleanly sliced a doctor if it wasn't for the fact that they were on a lunch break.

"WHERE'S MY SON? WHERE'S NARUTO?" Kushina yelled, alerting everyone in the hospital and surprisingly half of Konoha. Doctors soon started rushing in and trying to calm Kushina down.

"Don't you dare touch me! Now... is someone going to tell me where my son is at or do I have to help refresh your memories." Kushina threatened. Every doctor in the room soon disappeared and she would've followed but a cloud of smoke enveloped the room. Kushina put her defences up and waited for the people to reveal themselves.

"It's been a long time... Kushina." The Third Hokage said with two ANBU standing behind him.

"Old man? What the hell are you doing here?" Kushina asked. The Third then motioned the ANBU to guard the door and told him not to let anyone in. When they left the room, the Third faced Kushina once again.

"Do you know where you are Kushina?" Kushina looked around and then back at him like he was stupid.

"In a hospital?"

"Ok but in which village?"

"Look old man Hiruzen, I don't have time to play 20 questions, I need to find Naruto and I need to find him now!" Kushina said, she then made a huge "X" on the hospital wall and kicked it, knocking the wall down and out of the hospital. She was about to leave the hospital when Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, stopped her.

"We need to know what happened first." Hiruzen said. Kushina sighed in defeat and was about to begin but again Hiruzen stopped him.

"After we summon his teammates, I don't want you to repeat what you're about to tell us." Kushina hesitantly agreed and looked down. She saw that she was changed into the hospital gown and growled. She saw her old clothes on the chair next to the bed she was in and grabbed it. She went into the bathroom and changed. When she came out, Hiruzen ordered his ANBU to summon Team Kakashi into his office. After that, Hiruzen and Kushina went to his office.

When Team Kakashi was walking to the Hokage's office, they didn't even know what to expect. After running into Kushina without Naruto, they were worried tremendously. When they entered the Hokage's office, they saw an impatient Kushina gripping her sword tighter and tighter. She looked up and snapped.

"It's about time you all came. While you were casually walking over, Naruto could be lying in a ditch somewhere dying, or even dead!" Hinata blanched with hurt, which went unnoticed by most. Kushina though was not like most and she sighed; triyinh to calm down.

"I'm sorry Hinata, I'm just worried."

"Please take a seat so we can begin." Hiruzen said. After Hinata and Haku sat down in the only two chairs in the office, Hiruzen nodded his head towards Kushina, signalling her to begin.

"Ok, well I guess I should start from the beginning..."

_**[Flashback…]**_

_**Naruto and Kushina were walking back to Konoha after Yaiba finished making Naruto's new swords. After testing his new swords, Naruto realized two things. One was that his new swords was sharper and could cut through more stuff than his old sword. Two, he had to get physically stronger to handle his sword better. So, with the help of Yaiba and with the money of his mother, he had new weights on his arms. The cool thing about it was that the more chakra you added to it, the more weight would be added to it. After you released the chakra, not only does the weight lessen, but the chakra returns to the user in full – preventing chakra depletion.**_

_**On the way back, Naruto and Kushina were talking about a new training schedule with him and his team while passing by a rocky area on a huge mountain near Kumogakure. Kushina felt something wasn't right, like someone was watching them. Then, a huge avalanche of rocks collapsed and headed for Naruto and Kushina. Kushina was able to jump out of the way but Naruto was not so fortunate.**_

_**Naruto's foot got caught under a rock and tripped. He looked up and saw the rocks rolling towards him. In a last minute decision, he covered his head and waited for the rocks.**_

_**Kushina would've saved him but she was too late. She was able to dig Naruto out from under the rocks. He was still breathing but was unconscious. She kissed the top of his head and thanked god her little boy was ok.**_

_**Fate would be against Kushina though as several Kumo hunter-nins appeared and surrounded her and Naruto. She growled and cursed her luck.**_

_**"Hikari Kururugi, you are wanted for the assassination attempt against the Mizukage. You are wanted by every hidden village and your bounty would greatly help Kumo prosper. You can either come peacefully or we could kill you now." One hunter-nin said. Kushina's anger was starting to reach critical point.**_

_**"Ok, I see. Maybe we can ask your son there what we should do." Another hunter-nin said, big mistake. That hunter-nin was sliced in half, Kushina's sword firmly gripped in her hands.**_

_**"Anyone else wants to ask my son what you should do?" Kushina asked dangerously low. The reset of the hunter-nins jumped on Kushina, trying to kill her with the senbon needles or kunai in their hands. Kushina just swung her sword and more than three quarters of the hunter-nins were dead. The remaining ones jumped back. The first hunter-nin nodded his head at his only surviving comrade and made some hand signs. When he finished, he stuck his hand out at Kushina.**_

_**"Lightning Style: Lightning Needle Jutsu!" Lightning appeared to struck the hunter-nin's hands and then shot off to Kushina. She blocked it with her sword but it knocked her back. Unable to react fast enough, Naruto's body was pushed back and sent over the cliff. Kushina watched helplessly as her son fell and reached the ground. She couldn't see how he landed or if he even landed at all; the trees surrounding the ground blocked her view.**_

_**She then stood up and picked up her sword.**_

_**"How... DARE YOU MAKE ME DROP MY SON!" Kushina yelled as she sliced the second hunter-nin in half, leaving the captain alive. In her fit of rage, she just savagely attacked the ninja, not caring that he gave a scratch from time to time. After a grueling ten minutes of fighting, Kushina was able to behead the last hunter-nin.**_

_**After coming down the mountain, Kushina looked everywhere for Naruto but it proved pointless, she wasn't able to find him. She looked desperately for her boy and after finally reuniting with her son, a month later they are once again separated. She finally snapped and dropped to her knees and sobbed. She sobbed and sobbed until the sun started to set. She knew crying was not going to help and since she couldn't find his body, there might be a chance he was still alive.**_

_**She got up and dusted herself off. Once she completed this small task, she started running as fast as she could for Konoha, hoping that she could get a search team to help find her Naruto.**_

_**[End of Flashback…]**_

Hinata was bawling by now and didn't know when she'd stop. The rest of team Kakashi mourned the loss of a valuable teammate. Hiruzen looked down and made a silent prayer for the young Genin. Kushina snapped at everyone in the room.

"What the hell are you all doing? He's not dead, he's not!" She yelled. "If I didn't see his body, that either means he's up and running, or healing himself. Either way, he is not dead. Now, I think we should send a search team out for him, me included." Kushina said, Hinata still crying over the loss of her first and last love.

[*.*.Four months later.*.*]

"So Kakashi-sensei, why have you brought us here only to be late…? Again?" Sasuke asked angrily. Hinata just sat off on the side, unresponsive to anyone. Since finding out the news of Naruto's disappearance, Hinata has shut everyone out. She would participate in missions and team training and actually exceed her past performances, but it was only because she knew Naruto would never forgive her if she ever quit. And as her performances increased, her social life decreased. She was even more reclusive than Sasuke was.

"Well I wanted to ask you guys if you want to participate in the Chunin Exam. What do you say?" Team Kakashi looked at one another before each shrugging and nodding their heads. Kakashi only sweat dropped at their eagerness. He handed them out to his team and told them to hand them in at the start of the exams. After filling out her application, Hinata folded it add put it in her sweater pocket. She moved some of her hair out of her face and walked away.

Another thing that had changed about Hinata was her long hair. She had kept it short for Naruto; she knew he liked her short hair; so she had grown it long; a constant sign of her mourning. She no longer had anybody that she wanted to look good for.

On her way home, Hinata bumped into a kid a little older than her. She took a step back and walked around him and the blond haired girl next to him.

"Sorry." Hinata said passively, but the other kid still wasn't happy with the apology. He spun Hinata around and gripped her shirt. He brought her up and snarled.

"Yeah you should be sorry; you almost made me fall!" The kid with purple paint on his face said. Hinata noticed the bandaged up thing on his back and wondered what it was before replying to the kid.

"Sorry I guess." She said nonchalantly. This angered the other kid even more and cocked his fist back and let it loose. Hinata didn't even blink as the fist stopped an inch from her face. She saw that a sheathed sword stopped his fist by blocking his entire arm. When she saw who blocked the guy's fist, she was stunned. The guy who stopped the other guy's fist had dark silver hair, cut just short enough to show his Kumo headband. [A/N: check out Vizard Kensei Muguruma's picture to see how his hair looks like...]. He had the darkest blue eyes Hinata's ever seen, and he had a long cloak that its collar went all the way up, blocking some of his face, something similar to Shino's sweater. His cloak was brown and covered his whole body. The only other thing she could note about this mysterious aid was that he wore black ninja shoes and had another sword under his cloak. He was as tall if not taller than the purpled faced ninja.

"I don't think we should fight before the Chunin exams start. Besides, it's impolite to hit a girl." The silver haired ninja said. The guy with the purple paint on his head just scoffed as he let Hinata go.

"So how about I hit you?" He said angrily. He cocked his fist back again but stopped short when he saw the silver haired kid's team arrive behind him. One was a girl about the height of his blond teammate. She had dark brown hair that reached to the small of her back. Her skin was tanner than the silver haired kid's was and she wore the same cloak the silver haired kid had except it was a lighter brown than his. Her light brown eyes were glaring at the purple faced ninja as her Kumo armband shined from the sun's rays.

His other teammate was a little more intimidating. He had long coal black hair in a ponytail that reached down at the small back and was as tall as his silver haired teammate. He had the oddest eye color; it was a golden yellow like color. This guy wasn't as dark as his other teammates but his skin pigments did look healthy. On the outside, his cloak was a midnight blue while the inside was a dark blood red. He had a strong looking jaw and had an athletic body as far as anyone could tell. He gave a hard stare at the purple faced ninja that dared him to say something.

"How about you walk away from us before I do something I might regret." When the silver haired kid's male teammate said regret, his eyes flashed and sent a shiver down the other ninja's spine. It was at this time that the silver haired kid decided to speak again.

"I don't think you're other teammate would want that now would he?" Suddenly, sand started to spin around an area next to the blond kuinochi and a red haired boy appeared. He looked like he never once fell asleep.

"Stop making a mockery of the Suna Kankuro, you're embarrassing your homeland." The red haired boy told Kankuro.

"Gaara it's not my fault..." Kankuro started saying but was interrupted.

"Shut your mouth Kankuro or I'll make sure it'll never open again!" Gaara threatened. The blond haired kunoichi just remained silent, not wanting to anger Gaara even more. "We need to get going Kankuro, Temari." Gaara said before walking by the mysterious team from Kumo.

"Wait." The silver haired Kumo ninja said to Gaara. Gaara stopped and answered the silver haired kid.

"What?"

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Gaara of the Desert, and yours?" Gaara asked.

"My name's Takeo Ryusaki." Takeo announced. Gaara let a small smirk reach his lips before walking away.

"You are an interesting ninja Takeo." Gaara said before disappearing. Takeo turned around and saw Hinata still on the floor. He stuck his hand out and she accepted it. "Are you ok?"

Hinata just nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Good, come on guys, we should be going to our hotel." Takeo said, earning a nod from both teammates. But before they left Takeo looked at Hinata, her hand still in his.

"What's your name?" Takeo asked. Hinata only said one word.

"H-Hinata..." Takeo smiled under his cloak as he leaned down and kissed her hand. This action caused a small blush to appear on her face and caused Takeo's smile to widen after letting her hand go.

"Sunshine huh? Well I'll be seeing you around Sunshine!" Takeo said as he walked with his team back to the hotel.

"Kumo ninjas..." Hinata said quietly. It was odd for her; seeing a Kumo ninja save her after trying to kidnap her two times. She shook it off and started walking home and wait for the Chunin Exams to start tomorrow. Something was telling her that this was going to get interesting.

* * *

**That's chapter 9!**

**I know their confessions weren't so lovey dovey but I tried my best damn it!**

**I also know the beginning is kind of lack a bit, but the end was good right?**

**Tell me in a review, I'd really appreciate it and it'd let me know that people actually like this story!**

**Also, I'd like to thank Amaya-Gaara-4-ever-and-always** **for BETA reading this...  
**

**Next chapter: He will keep his promise! Believe it!**

**Goodbye and good luck with whatever!**


	10. He will keep his promise! Believe it!

**YO! Here's chapter 10 up and runnning... er, just up, it can't run...**

**Any who... Most people believe Takeo is Naruto... I'd like to take this opportunity to say... We'll see heh heh... Brainwashing though? Have I no shame for playing such a card? Do I? Not sure but again, we'll find out soon enough!**

**Anyways, the new Bleach and Naruto manga are getting intense and awesome... Finally the meeting of the five kages begins... What will happen? Well damn, I don't know, but I sure do want to find out...**

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed for chapter 9 and the chapters before that... Helps me write faster [wink, wink...]**

**So without stalling any longer, enjoy the story...  
**

**Chapter 10: He will keep his promise! Believe it!**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own Naruto, but Kishimoto better make Naruto return Hinata's feelings because if not, I will make a one-shot where Naruto's tortured. How? I really hope we won't have to find out...**

* * *

_Last time on __Naruto of the Immortal Clan__..._

_"What's your name?" Takeo asked. Hinata only said one word._

_"H-Hinata..." Takeo smiled under his cloak as he leaned down and kissed her hand. This action caused a small blush to appear on her face and caused Takeo's smile to widen after letting her hand go._

_"Sunshine huh? Well I'll be seeing you around Sunshine!" Takeo said as he walked with his team back to the hotel._

_"Kumo ninjas..." Hinata said quietly. It was odd for her; seeing a Kumo ninja save her after trying to kidnap her two times. She shook it off and started walking home and waiting for the Chunin Exams to start tomorrow. Something was telling her that this was going to get interesting._

[*.*.*.*]

It was the day of the exams and Hinata was already late. She was running to the academy, hoping her teammates would not mind her being a couple minute late. She did not want to be late, it's not like she wanted her father to give her a lecture on how he was expecting her to pass. She blocked out most of it but made it seem like she was paying attention. When he finally let her go, she was already late and rushing out of the house.

She ran across Ichiraku's only to stop. She looked back at it and a small tear came to her eye. She brushed it away and smiled at the memories she had with Naruto.

She especially remembered that one time when Naruto and her stayed to wash the dishes. But before she could continue that thought, she saw Takeo walk by the ramen bar with his two other teammates. It was odd for Hinata; she wanted to be afraid of them, hate them at least for Kumo's previous attempts but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to hate or be afraid of them. Though she didn't really want to talk to them so she continued to make her way to the academy.

"Sunshine!" Sadly, fate would conspire against Sunshine as she turned around and saw Takeo running over with his teammates following. He stopped in front of Hinata and gave her a large smile.

"Hey Sunshine, how you been?" Takeo asked. Hinata felt her blood rushing to her face, making her sport a small blush, though her heartbeat remained on a constant pace. She wondered why she was blushing but decided to answer Takeo first.

"I-I've been fine, thank you Takeo-san." Takeo just waved her off.

"Don't add the 'san', Takeo is fine. Anyways, where you headed off to?" Hinata went back to her nervous habit of pointing her index fingers together.

"I-I'm going to go take t-the Chunin Exams." Hinata answered nervously. But that's what worried her.

_'Why am I so nervous?'_Hinata made an inaudible gasp. _'Do... do I like Takeo?'_ Hinata shook herself mentally. '_I only have one person that I like, and he'll always be the only one.' _She was brought out of her thoughts when Takeo shook her shoulders.

"Huh?"

"I said that was great and I went on saying that I wish you luck." Takeo said. Hinata's blushed darkened into a deeper shade of red. Takeo's female teammate walked closer to Hinata and gave her a calculating stare.

"She looks tough but she could be better." She stated, though Hinata didn't care. Takeo glared at his teammate.

"Come on Nozomi, don't be like that. Of course anyone could be better, but you didn't have to put it like that." Takeo said, defending Hinata. His other teammate walked near Hinata, also giving her a calculating stare.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cross Xavier, I am both Takeo's and Nozomi's teammates. I hope these two children haven't bothered you." Cross said. Takeo glared at Cross, letting go of Hinata's shoulders.

"What did you say?" Takeo asked as Nozomi also gave him a hard stare.

"I'm sorry, _adults_. There, is that better?" Cross questioned sarcastically. Takeo lifted up his fist but stopped when he heard Hinata trying to stifle a giggle. He smiled at her and smiled.

"There you go Sunshine, glad to see your happy!" Takeo said loudly. Takeo heard Cross chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Takeo asked. Cross kept chuckling until he calmed down.

"Nothing, but I just figured out you're an idiot." Cross replied, angering his silver haired teammate. Takeo stood up straight and went face to face with Cross.

"What did you just say?" Takeo yelled. Cross just smirked.

"Now I think you're an idiot and deaf. Now let's go, I don't want to be late for the Chunin exams." Cross said as he walked for the academy. Hinata was giggling at Takeo's and Cross' banter. It somewhat reminded her of the banter between Sasuke and...

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said softly, all happiness she felt leaving her body.

"You say something Sunshine?" Takeo asked concern evident in his voice. Hinata looked up for a moment before shaking her head and going in the same direction Cross was going. Takeo walked quickly to catch up with her. "So from what I can see, you're from this place aren't you?" Takeo asked curiously.

"Y-Yes." Hinata answered.

"Cool, I always thought this was a cool place. Hey, do they have... damn what is it called... ramen?" Takeo asked. Hinata looked at him a cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Hinata asked, curious as to why he wanted to know. He just shrugged his shoulders and put his hands behind his head.

"This guy once told me about it. It's supposed to be really good or something. He seemed really obsessed with it. Hey, maybe sometime you and me can go try some. How about it?" Takeo offered despite Nozomi's killer intent suddenly appearing. Hinata also noticed the sudden killer intent but chose to ignore it, she was thinking about Takeo's offer. While she thought it over, she was having a hard time coming up with an answer. Some part of her, a part that she knew wasn't to do with attraction in any way was screaming to say yes. Another part, a stronger part, was also telling her she couldn't betray Naruto by going on a date with Takeo – even if she was only doing it to get information; to allay her suspicions – but she knew that something was wrong.

_"A d-date?'_ Hinata thought frantically.

"Y-You mean like a d-date?" Hinata asked. Takeo smiled broadly.

"Yeah, I guess you can call it that." Takeo said casually. Hinata again couldn't speak; she was still struggling with her loyalty to Naruto and her want to find out why she felt something was wrong with the ninja in front of her. Takeo took her lack of an answer as her answer.

"That's ok then." Takeo said sadly. Hinata looked up and heard the sadness in his voice. Something inside her snapped; '_Naruto trusts me to be loyal to him, and I always will be – he would know that I wouldn't love anyone else but him'_.

"I-I'd love to." Hinata said with a small, forced smile that she hoped looked genuine. Suddenly Nozomi's killer intent sky rocketed, but neither seemed to mind. Takeo's attitude brightened substantially and he smiled an ear to ear smile.

"Great, I don't know when that'll be but I can't wait!" Takeo yelled. Cross happened to be close enough to hear Takeo's yell and wanted to know what he was talking about so he stopped walking so Takeo could catch up.

"Can't wait for what?" Cross asked. Takeo just scowled at him, and then smiled as he stuck his tongue out at him.

"I got a date!" Cross, stifled a laugh, then he chuckled and finally busted out laughing. "What the hell is so funny?" Takeo screamed. Cross replied after calming down.

"That last thing you said. It sounded like you said you got a date." That earned Cross a bump on his head. He fell back and grabbed his head. "OW!"

"Yeah, hurts don't it? Next time maybe you should keep your mouth shut!" Takeo said as he, Hinata and Nozomi walked on by. Cross stood up and followed after his comrades, grumbling on the way there. When the four of them finally arrived outside the academy, Sasuke and Haku were waiting for Hinata, and by the looks of it, Sasuke was starting to lose his patience. When he saw Hinata and the Kumo ninjas arriving, he was glad and confused.

"Who are these losers?" Sasuke asked Hinata. Cross didn't like how Sasuke called them losers.

"We're not losers..." Cross retorted. Sasuke gave one look at Cross before saying.

"I call them like I see them." A kunai flew past Sasuke face, leaving a small cut on his left cheek. He looked to see who threw the kunai and saw Nozomi with her hand still out.

"The only loser here is you. Mock me or my friends again and next time it won't just be a scratch." Nozomi said lowly. She retracted her hand and put it on her hip. Sasuke just growled and grunted as he looked away. Haku, meanwhile, walked up to Takeo.

"How do you know Hinata?" Haku asked.

"I don't, we just met; well officially." Takeo said. He stuck out his hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Takeo Ryusaki." Haku shook his hand and gave him a smile of her own, oblivious to Nozomi's killer intent.

"My name's Haku, nice to meet you too."

"Can we go take the damn test now?" Nozomi said impatiently. Takeo looked at her and shot her a look that yelled 'CALM DOWN!" Nozomi registered the look before administering one of her own saying 'What?' Takeo sighed and looked at Hinata. When Hinata looked at Takeo, she felt as though a strong genjutsu was placed on her because she thought she saw a little bit of Naruto in Takeo.

"Guess she's right, let's go." Team Kumo and Kakashi walked up to the academy and went to the room they were told to go to. On the way there, they passed by a class that had a genjutsu over it. Takeo looked at it curiously and watched as a Genin was shoved back, landing on her back.

"Hey come on, let us through." The brown haired Genin pleaded. She had her hair in a bun and had a light red Chinese shirt and green capris with her blue ninja shoes. Two Genin were standing in front of the supposed exam room, kicking everyone out of it.

"No chance, we're just cutting down the casualties. We're actually doing you guys a favor by not letting you through. You should be thanking us actually." One of the Genin said. The next Genin who tried to get by the two Genin was a black spiky haired Genin with a green shirt underneath some weird looking protective vest. He wore green shorts and black ninja shoes. He too was knocked down after trying to enter.

"Lee!" The brown haired Genin yelled in concern.

"I'm ok Tenten." Lee said as he stood and moved behind a crowd of Genin forming at the door. Hinata tensed up when she saw her cousin join up with his team. Before Sasuke could react, Sakura appeared behind him and hugged him from the neck.

"Sasuke-kun! What a surprise!" Sakura yelled. Nozomi covered her ears and Sakura's high pitched yell almost deafened her. Takeo laughed at Nozomi and Cross only smirked. She saw their reactions and didn't like it one bit.

"What do you think is so funny?" The sounds of Sasuke struggling to free himself could be heard in the background.

"N-Nothing." Takeo said, fruitlessly trying to stifle his laughter. Cross just shook his head with a smirk, finding her facial expression hilarious. Hinata herself was trying not to laugh after seeing Nozomi face when Sakura yelled. She was lucky Nozomi wasn't looking at her.

"Nothing, well then stop laughing or I'll..."

"You'll what? I dare you to do something." Takeo said, trying to call her bluff. Nozomi just smirked and looked away. Takeo realized what she was doing and tried to stop her.

"You know I was kidding right? You don't have to do anything. Is it the dare, is it because... I triple dog dare you not to do something. Come on I was just kid... Damn it Cross you can at least help me out!" Takeo yelled at his friend. Cross just shrugged his shoulders. "Do I need to remind you that she's angry at you too?"

"You know... Takeo's right Nozomi, there's no harm done. You don't have to do anything drastic." Cross agreed. Nozomi's smirk just grew and she walked away.

"Nozomi come on... Damn it! You know we're screwed right?" Takeo asked. Cross nodded his head, hoping whatever it was she was going to do wasn't going to be as painful as it was last time. Hinata watched on in fascination. It was incredibly funny how Takeo was, and to her surprise, she actually enjoyed being with him. Again sporting a blush, her thoughts returned to the earlier idea of her crush on him. _'It's only because he reminds you a bit of Naruto – but he isn't him.'_ She kicked herself mentally at how weak her argument sounded.

"Sunshine?" She was brought out of her thoughts by Takeo.

"Huh?"

"Ok, you're awake. I thought you somehow managed to sleep while standing up. Anyways, me and my team got to go, I'll see you later!" Takeo said before running off with Cross to catch up with their teammate. Hinata watched him go and was a little bit saddened. No one had been able to make her feel happy since Naruto. This silver haired ninja made her feel that way for the first time in months. She hated herself with how quickly she had gotten over Naruto. She just couldn't deny it anymore; she had taken a liking to Takeo and there was nothing she could do about it. However, she still had the feeling that something was wrong, and so held onto her love for the blonde-haired ninja that she loved.

Hinata then turned her attention to her teammates who were having a bit of a situation. Haku and Sakura were trying to convince Sasuke not to fight Lee just to see who was stronger. After making eye contact with her cousin, Hinata looked away and sighed. The exams hadn't even started and already she wished they were over. She followed after Sasuke and the other leaf Genin, ignoring the other Genin who obviously haven't seen the genjutsu yet, while thinking about Takeo.

_'Why does he enter my mind? Why won't he just leave? His silver, short hair... his dark blue eyes, which seemed to glisten when the sun got in it... the way he smiles at me... the wh... Wait a minute!'_ Hinata abruptly stopped thinking about that and thought back to Takeo's face. She wasn't so sure if he had it but she was sure that she hadn't seen it. She could be wrong but the next time she saw Takeo, she would find out.

[*.*.*.*]

After Sasuke had lost his battle to Lee, badly, Team Kakashi went to the third floor where they saw Kakashi standing at the door.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you guarding the door?" Haku said warily. Kakashi cocked his only visible eyebrow.

"Uh, no... I'm actually here to tell you guys to be careful. Also, don't forget about team work." His team just nodded and he eye smiled.

"I'm sure wherever Naruto is, he's probably eating ramen." Kakashi said trying to lighten up the mood. It worked to some extent, just more so on others. Haku and Sasuke took it lightly and let a small smile tug on their lips, but Hinata tried not to shed a tear. No matter how long he went missing, she would never forget Naruto. She wanted more than anything to taste his lips once more, to have him hold her tightly and never let go. Sadly, that would never happen, in her mind at least, not so long as Naruto remains wherever he was.

"Now go out there and take that exam!" Kakashi encouraged. Team Kakashi looked at one another and nodded before entering the room. When they entered, they saw Genin from around the nation. They saw some from Suna, Kumo, Kiri, Iwa, and Oto and even from Konoha. It was amazing the number of Genin who were taking the Chunin exams.

Unfortunately for Sasuke, Team Kakashi weren't the only ones looking around the room.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino and Sakura screeched simultaneously as they jumped Sasuke.

"Ah!" A yelled pierced through the room, silencing other conversation and getting their attention. Nozomi was on the left said of the room, holding her ears after hearing the two banshees screech.

"Damn it, don't you two ever shut up!" Nozomi yelled, causing many of the other Genin from various places to chuckle. Takeo and cross stood by Nozomi, trying to calm the scary-when-angry girl down. Sakura and Ino stuck their tongue out at her and blew raspberries, again causing most of the Genin in the room to chuckle. Takeo and Cross held Nozomi back as she tried to rip the two fan-girls limb from limb. When she calmed down, Team Kumo walked over to the rest of the rookie twelve minus one.

"Hey there Sunshine!" All the girls, save Nozomi, chuckled at Hinata's nickname, of course Hinata's reply was to blush. All the guys were indifferent, save Kiba and Neji. Neji didn't think very highly of Hinata, so when he heard Hinata's nickname, especially coming from a Kumo ninja, it didn't exactly look good to him. His facial expression summed up exactly how he felt about Hinata, which didn't go unnoticed by Takeo. Kiba was furious, no one's been able to make Hinata blush since Naruto. With Naruto gone, Kiba saw no one to compete with for Hinata's affection. But now, some lowlife punk had already done what most haven't been able to do.

"Who you calling Sunshine?" Kiba questioned. Takeo cocked an eyebrow while a small smirk appeared on his lips.

"Why Sunshine of course." Takeo stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kiba's veins popped out as his animosity for Takeo grew tenfold. Cross, seeing his expression and the fact that Takeo's innocent smile wasn't helping, he stood between Kiba and Takeo and tried to calm Kiba down.

"Whoa there little doggie, let's not..." Cross didn't finish as he was sucker punched in the face by Kiba.

"Who are you calling...?" This time Kiba didn't finish as Nozomi gave him one of her own sucker punches. Her breath was shallow and controlled as she tried to control her anger.

"What the hell was that for?" Kiba yelled.

"What the hell do you think?" Before he could answer, a Konoha Genin with silver hair and glass walked up to them.

"Hey, you guys might want to keep it down." He warned. Cross, not really like the vibe he got from the Konoha Genin, looked at him suspiciously.

"And why is that?" Takeo asked warily.

"Because then everyone here will mentally put a bull's eye on you."

"What's your name?" Nozomi, who was also suspicious of the Genin's intentions, said after getting up from the sucker punch he was given.

"Kabuto Yakushi." Takeo lowered his sights and saw him holding cards.

"What's with the cards?" Takeo asked. Kabuto looked at the cards in his hands and chuckled.

"These are info cards I collect. You see, this will be my seventh attempt in the Chunin exams. Though my past failures didn't go to waste as I have information on ninjas from Konoha and from other nations." Kabuto explained, raising Nozomi's and Cross' suspicions.

"What if they get into the wrong hands, they may lead to the downfall of many in this room, in and out of the Chunin exams." Nozomi said.

"Probably but these cards only respond to my chakra so it'll be ok." Kabuto reassured, though Cross still wasn't convinced.

"Well let's see what they can do!" Takeo yelled. Kabuto smirked and took out his cards.

"Well, give me any kind of description; blond, tall, skinny, fat, short, odd... anything." Kabuto said eagerly.

"Rock Lee..." Sasuke started, though someone else continued in his place.

"Gaara of the desert and Neji Hyuuga." Takeo said, surprising himself with the second person he asked for. He silently growled at his stupidity.

_'I'm not supposed to let my emotions get control over me_.' Takeo thought.

"You know there name? That's no fun." Kabuto applied some of his chakra to three different cards and everyone watched as the three aforementioned ninja's information showed up.

"Let's see, ah, quite impressive. Rock Lee with his team have completed over fifty D-rank missions, twenty two C-rank and one B-rank. What he lacks in ninjutsu and genjutsu, he makes up for in taijutsu. It says here he is an expert in hand to hand combat and pretty handy with a Bo staff.

"Gaara of the desert; it says here he's done fourteen C-rank missions, seven B-rank and eight A-rank. It also says that he always returns from his missions without a scratch. That's incredible, almost unbelievable. There's not much else in here about him, weird.

"Neji Hyuuga; in the same team as Rock Lee so you already know the number of missions. Says here that he's been trained in the art of the Gentle Fist. He's a branch member and is considered a prodigy in the eyes of his clan. His kekkei genkai is the famous Byakugan, very impressive. Seems like this year's Genin are tougher than last year..."

"Wait, what about him?" Sasuke asked pointing at Takeo.

"Me?" Takeo asked. Kabuto looked at him and searched his cards.

"Strange, there doesn't seem to be a card on you, what's your name?" Kabuto asked.

"Takeo Ryusaki." Kabuto searched his cards again but still didn't find him. Kabuto raised an eyebrow and looked at Takeo.

"Who are you?" Takeo just smirked.

"I thought you're cards had information on everyone here."

"They do, even that small group from Oto." An Oto ninja, not from them, cocked an eyebrow.

"Let's show them just how small our group is." The leader said as he and his team charged. He threw a fist at Kabuto but Kabuto blocked it.

"You're going to have to do better than that." Kabuto's eyes widened and he fell to his knees. He soon threw up and saw that his glasses were cracked. Whatever the Oto ninja had done, he wasn't able to see it.

"Humph, pathetic." A sword was then placed on the throat of the Oto ninja who spoke. He looked to his right and saw Takeo with an odd looking sword. It had completed no guard; its grip was black with small inscriptions that made no sense. The whole thing was black except the blade which was a pure silver color much like Takeo's hair. The blade was also thicker than most swords the Oto-nin seen before.

"Let's wait until we start the exams, I think that'll be in everyone's interest." Takeo said dangerously low, putting more pressure on the Oto's neck until a little blood leaked from his neck. Suddenly, a smoke bomb blew up in the room and a voice boomed out.

"Alright maggots sit down in your designated seats and shut up because I am not going to repeat myself. You, Oto and Kumo, you don't want to be disqualified before the exams starts do you?" Both Takeo and the Oto nin shook their heads, causing the loud Konoha ninja, Ibiki Morino, to smirk.

"Good, now sit down and I'll explain how this is going to work." Ibiki explained how they will be taking a written exam with ten questions. If they get caught cheating five times, they would be kicked out of the exam. Ibiki gave them forty-five minutes to answer the first nine questions before he gave them the tenth questions.

Hinata was lucky or unlucky enough to sit right next to Takeo. He smiled at her before he looked down at his own paper. Hinata's blush returned yet her heartbeat remained the same, which seemed odd to her. After a moment however, she gave herself a small smile. _'He'll always be the only one…'_

"Candidate number thirty eight, you and your teammates get up and leave; you're busted." One Chunin in the room yelled and three Genin stood and walked out of the room. Hinata panicked but was glad she wasn't called on. When she started reading the questions, she knew that she didn't know any of the answers. She inconspicuously looked around and saw one or two people furiously writing down the answers. Then she saw some on the other Genin using their kekkei genkai or other abilities to cheat. Kiba was using Akamaru, Shino was using his bugs, Sakura didn't have to cheat, Sasuke used his sharingan and even her cousin was using his byakugan.

It suddenly clicked in Hinata's head; they wanted her to cheat. It was so simple and yet cleverly deceitful. She quickly activated her kekkei genkai and started copying off one of the Genin who answered all the answers. When she was done, she put her pencil down and waited for everyone to finish. She put her head down and closed her eyes. She fell asleep soon but woke up again because she felt something painful in her arm.

She opened her eyes and saw Takeo asleep as well with drool over his test. Hinata tried not to laugh at the sight in front of her, it reminded her so much of Naruto when he took a test in the academy. She then remembered what she wanted to find out about Takeo and looked at his face.

_'I knew it.'_ Hinata thought but she couldn't get further with her thoughts as Ibiki yelled.

"Alright, that's it for the first nine questions, now it's time for the tenth question. Now let me warn you know; those that do not answer the tenth question correctly will be dropped from the program and never be allowed to take the Chunin exams ever again." This brought everyone's attention on Ibiki. Many looked like they were about to complain but Ibiki spoke up first.

"Before any of you start crying, you can leave now and take the test next year. So you have two options; one, leave now, fail and take the test next year or two, risk your whole shinobi career on one last question."

[*.*.*.*]

"Hmm... it's so peaceful without the Genin running around. I almost miss them." Kakashi commented, taking out his perverted book. Asuma took another breath from his cigarette and blew out the smoke. Kurenai held her breath as the smoke traveled through the room.

"Don't worry; they'll be back before you know it." Asuma said.

"Why's that?"

"I heard there first examiner this year is... Ibiki." Kakashi put down his book and looked at Asuma with a questionable stare. Kurenai just watched as they spoke.

"Great, already I don't think they'll make it. Funny how they gave them that sadist right off the bat."

"What sadist?" Kurenai asked. Asuma laughed as he took in another smoke.

"I guess you are a new jounin otherwise you wouldn't have to ask that." Kurenai glared at Asuma.

"So I'm ignorant, who is he?"

"He's what you might call a specialist."

"In what?" Asuma took some time to answer but answered nonetheless.

"Interrogation; torture. Of course it's nothing physical, not like he needs to. He likes to work on the mind instead of the body, he's famous for that. Everyone knows he's head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Core for Konoha." Kurenai gasped, wondering how smart it was to let her Genin take the Chunin exams.

[*.*.*.*]

"That's bull man," Kiba yelled at Ibiki. "I've seen people take these exams more than once, what's up with that." This caused Ibiki to laugh and laugh, confusing many of the Genin.

"Maybe so but..." Ibiki's demeanor suddenly got serious as he spoke. "They didn't have me supervising the exams those years but you; you have the misfortune to have me this year. So if you're not feeling confident about it, then be all means, drop out and try again next year." Many of the Genin looked at each other with uncertainty. Team Kakashi didn't care though, they were going to stay and take the tenth question. After a couple of minutes of people dropping out of the exams, Ibiki decided to end the exam.

"So you're all that's left huh?"

_'Seventy two huh? That's a lot more than I expected. This year seems like it's going to be interesting.'_

"Those of you remaining, I'd like to say... you pass." Everyone was shocked, Sakura though decided to speak up.

"Wait, what do you mean we pass? What happened to the tenth question?" Ibiki laughed and answered.

"There was no tenth question, well, not technically. You see, in a way, your decision to stay and answer the tenth question was the tenth question."

"Wait a minute, so we wasted our time answering the other nin question. Is that what you're saying?" Temari questioned.

"No, not really, on the contrary. They served their purpose, to test your ability to gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstance."

"Oh well that explains everything." Cross said sarcastically.

"Then let me explain. You see I not only had to test you individually but as a team and how well you function as a team. That's why every time you did something or failed to do something greatly affected your team; to see how you'd handle the pressure." Takeo nodded his head.

"I thought it was something like that..." Takeo's other teammates just sweat dropped and Hinata giggled at his antics.

"As you probably realized by now the questions were hard, too hard for normal Genin to answer or even understand. Most of you realized this and started cheating. The fact is that this test encouraged cheating, it almost demanded it. Of course, it wouldn't help if you couldn't copy off of someone with the right answers so I had two Chunin who already knew the answer sit in with you." Takeo sweat dropped and lowered his head.

"Better to not cheat then to do it badly." Ibiki removed his headband and showed everyone the scars on his head. Everyone freaked out at it, most handled it well compared to others. He continued to talk after putting his headband back on.

"Depending on how well you can gather information can determine whether a mission is a success or a failure. But you got to be careful of who you get your information from. Getting it from the enemy doesn't necessarily mean it's accurate. In fact, disinformation is worse than no information; it could mean the death of a comrade or the loss of a village. That's why I forced you all to cheat to pass. Those who could not do so without getting caught were dismissed."

"Ok, but I still don't get the whole tenth question." Temari asked again.

"It's simple really; it was the whole point of the whole test. As I mentioned, the whole point of the test was to test your teamwork. I gave you two options, both difficult choices. You could play it safe and try again net year, though it meant that you and your teammates failed. Or you could take the risk and try to answer the tenth question even though you knew that if you got it wrong, you could fail and ever become a Chunin. A lose-lose situation, but Chunin face this sort of situation everyday." Ibiki took a long pause and exhaled loudly.

"Let me give you a hypothetical situation. Say you were given a mission were you had to retrieve a scroll from an enemy base. You have no idea how well guarded it is or how many are guarding it. Furthermore, you have reason to believe they're expecting you, so you could be walking into a trap. So do you pass the insane mission just so you and your comrades could live another day, to avoid danger? No, you will have many more missions that'll seem almost suicidal in retrospect. But that's not what you think about. You think about the success of the mission and the discipline and courage you need to complete your goal."

Most Genin resolve were now unwavering, knowing they made the right choice. Ibiki smiled at the Genin before he jumped back and saw a small black ball open up and spread out a sheet that announced the arrival of the second Examiner.

"Listen up you punks, my name is Anko Mitarashi ad I'll be babysitting all of you brats for the next part of the exam!" Anko yelled. Most of the Genin were surprised and Ibiki sighed.

"You're early Anko." Ibiki stated, Anko looked around and hung her head.

"You're getting soft Ibiki." She said. Ibiki just shrugged. He honestly wasn't expecting these many Genin to have the guts to continue the test…

"Come on, let's go to the next part of the exam; it'll take place in... The Forest of Death." Anko smiled as she licked her lips in an animalistic way. Takeo just smiled and scoffed it off. Hinata's reaction wasn't as daring as Takeo's; she didn't really care. Takeo stood up and offered his hand to help Hinata stand.

"T-Thank you." Takeo nodded his head as they left the room. When they were outside Hinata asked Takeo something.

"T-Takeo, why are you s-so nice to me?" Hinata asked curiously. Takeo got into a thoughtful pose.

"Because I made a promise, and I always keep my promises." Before Hinata could question him more, Takeo changed the subjust. As they made their way to the forest of death, two pairs of eyes followed a cetain person in the group. The two ninjas hidden in the shadows saw Takeo casually place an arm over Hinata and talk to her while she giggled and blushed.

"Why should I wait for them to enter the damn forest?" Growled the shorter ninja. The taller ninja just smiled, letting its hair flow freely in the air as the ninja felt its comrade's killing intent rise.

"Don't like what you're seeing?" The second ninja asked. The shorter ninja just glared.

"No I don't, you know I bloody don't; this is a load of bulls-" The shorter ninja yelled as he was clapped across the back of his head.

"What did I tell you?" The taller ninja scolded. The shorter ninja grumbled and looked at the rest of the Genin walk to the Forest of Death.

"Come on, let's get going, we don't want to lose them." The taller ninja nodded and they followed the Genin, all of whom were unaware that they were being followed. Angry eyes flared and another pair of eyes filled up with excitement and blood lust as they continued to watch the Kumo and Konoha Genin interact. Then, a ninja with a black cloak appeared in front of the two ninjas following the Genin.

"I've found you; where have you been?" The new ninja said.

"I was tied up at the moment, what do you want?"

"I've come here to train you." The shorter figure thought about it.

"Let's just wait until after the second part of the exams. Trust me, we'll have more time then."

"But why wait until then?" The third ninja asked, causing the shorter ninja to smirk.

"Because a promise is a promise." The third ninja nodded and disappeared.

"This time I will get my revenge. This time it will be you who loses. Just you wait Takeo Ryusaki."

* * *

**Holy crap! Who saw this coming, I sure did heh heh...**

**Any who, what do you guys think, pretty exciting right? Unexpected huh?**

**Well anyways, I had trouble with this chapter... I really didn't want to explain the chunin exams rules but I had to, I wouldn't be a decent author without it...**

**Yeah, I'm sure some of you are confused by this chapter with Takeo being super nice to Hinata and calling her sunshine... Also by the three ninjas watching the group of genins head over to the Forest of Death, who are they and what do they want with Nar... I mean Takeo... What was the promise Takeo made and to who? What was up with the shorter ninja and his quest for revenge against Takeo? Did he have issues in the Village Hidden in the Clouds?  
**

**Well, we'll see heh heh...**

**Next Chapter: Promise vs promise, who's will is stronger? Part 1  
**

**Goodbye for now and good luck with whatever!**


	11. Promise vs promise, part 1

**Hey there! Chapter 11 is up and I promise it'll clear up most of the secret from chapters 9 and 10...**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed...**

**I'd like to say this to a non-member reviewer; No it's not french immortals though I appreciate the help and I might even use those styles to thanks...**

**Also, someone also wrote: where is Naruto and that this is a Naruhina story... Yes I know it's a naruhina, i'm the one writing it... I know it is lacking naruhina moments but that'll change soon, i promise...**

**And another non-member review from someone that called themself 'jaded'... are you being sarcastic?**

**This story has reached over 7,000 hits! Hijole, that's awesome!  
**

**Anyways, enjoy the story...  
**

**Chapter 11: Promise vs. promise, whose will is stronger? Part 1**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"Let's just wait until after the second part of the exams. Trust me, we'll have more time then."_

_"But why wait until then?" The third ninja asked, causing the shorter ninja to smirk._

_"Because a promise is a promise." The third ninja nodded and disappeared._

_"This time I will get my revenge. This time it will be you who loses. Just you wait Takeo Ryusaki."_

[*.*.*.*]

"So Sunshine, you ready to take the exam?" Takeo said after turning in his application and getting a heaven scroll. Anko explained that all teams will be given one scroll, whether it is a heaven or earth scroll, with the objective being to take the other scroll from another team and proceed to the castle in the centre of the forest and the next stage of the exams. They first had to sign and return a form that explained that they could die during the exam and they accepted this fact.

"Y-Yeah, what scroll d-did you get?" Hinata asked. Takeo showed her the heaven scroll and she sighed in relief. Her team got the heaven too, meaning that she didn't have to go against Takeo's team.

"What'd you get?" Hinata showed him the heaven scroll and he nodded his head. He smiled at her and whispered something in her ear, causing her to blush and the massive killer intent to rise. Hinata felt this killer intent and wondered for a minute. Two were obviously coming from Nozomi and Kiba, though the other one was unfamiliar yet familiar to her. She looked around and couldn't spot anyone else whose killer intent was at a dangerous level.

"What do you say?" Takeo asked after he parted away from Hinata.

"I-I guess." Hinata answered. What Takeo just asked for her right now was a lot but she just couldn't say no, it was like a genjutsu was placed on her or something. She shook her head and watched Takeo walk with his teammates over to the gates they were assigned to go to. Hinata walked over to her teammates and watched as Sasuke and Haku gave her curious glances. She cocked an eyebrow.

"Ano... why are you looking at me like that?" Hinata asked, Haku looked away but Sasuke kept looking at her.

"No reason, though it seems that you've been hanging around that silver haired idiot a lot." Sasuke commented. Hinata registered his words and what he implied by them. She blushed and walked past them.

"W-We should be getting to our g-gates by now." Haku followed her, her thoughts clouding her mind and Sasuke wasn't far behind. When they reached the gates, they were surprised to see Kushina casually leaning against the fence, apparently waiting for someone to show up. When Team Kakashi appeared in front of her, she opened an eye and closed it again.

"Well it's about time you guys got here." Kushina said, getting off the fence. She walked up to Hinata, grabbed her arm and dragged her behind a tree. "It'll be fine; I just need to talk to Hinata for a moment." Sasuke looked at Kushina for a second before leaning against the gate. Haku sighed and waited for Kushina and Hinata to return.

"Hey Hinata, how you been?" Kushina said sweetly, which put Hinata on alert. She wouldn't get this sweet unless she needed money or a favor, both of which were never a good thing.'

"Hello Kushina-san." Kushina just smiled, starting to scare Hinata. Hinata could see behind her smile, lay some sadness. "What's wrong Kushina-san?" Kushina's smiled disappeared as a small tear fell from her eye.

"I... I still haven't found Naruto." Kushina said sombrely. Hinata's heart still felt the pain from the day she found out Naruto wasn't coming home. Small tears escaped from their imprisonment at that thought.

"Oh..." Hinata said in a disappointed tone.

"Listen Hinata. I want to find Naruto just as much as you but... maybe... maybe..." Every word that came out of Kushina's mouth hurt her deeply and it just hurt more until Hinata stopped her.

"No!" Kushina looked up in shock at Hinata's shaking form. She wasn't looking at her; she was looking at the ground, tears falling from her eyes.

"Hinata..." Kushina lifted her hand to place it on her shoulder but Hinata stepped back. Hinata looked up and Kushina could see the pain and rage in her eyes.

"You can give up but I won't... I know he's out there... somewhere, I know it." Hinata yelled, calming down at the end and placing her hands over her heart, almost as if clutching at it; trying to dull the intense pain that she felt there. Kushina hung her head in shame for suggesting giving up, and she looked back at Hinata with tears in her eyes as well.

"You're right Hinata, we shouldn't give up. I'm sorry for suggesting it." Hinata hugged Kushina and she hugged back. In the distance, the shorter ninja from before was being held back by the taller ninja.

"Come on, this is the perfect chance; look at them!" The shorter ninja whispered loudly. The taller ninja only sighed at the shorter ninja's ignorance.

"No, not now besides, remember who your target is... I'm surprised you chose to follow the Hyuuga girl instead of that idiot Takeo." The taller ninja scolded. The shorter ninja just scoffed.

"Shut up, I have my reasons. Besides, even though Takeo is my target, that doesn't mean I can't have more than one targets does it?" The taller ninja cocked an eyebrow with a smile. The shorter ninja responded by hitting him on the head. "You know what I mean! Anyways, I got someone watching over Takeo so I've got nothing to worry about."

[*.*.*.*]

Kushina, with Team Kakashi waited as they announce the jounin to open the gates to allow the Genin to precede with the second part of the Chunin exams. Kushina caught up with Haku; talking about recent events and how she had been.

The jounins then got the signal to open the gates and Kushina unlocked the gate, though she didn't open it. She turned to them and started speaking.

"I can tell you by experience that this won't be easy. Teamwork is the key to this exam being a success. Please heed my words and take them to heart." Kushina then stepped to the side, letting the Genin in front of her run into the Forest of Death. "Good luck," she said quietly as she walked away, hoping they survived and became Chunin.

In the Forest of Death, Team Kakashi ran in their usual positions; Sasuke in the front, Hinata in the middle and Haku behind her. They traveled deeper in the forest and stopped after running for five minutes.

"Hinata, take on last surveillance before we rest." Sasuke ordered. Hinata nodded and checked her surroundings with her byakugan before sighing in relief and deactivating it.

"It's clear!" Takeo shouted to his teammates as he returned from his surveillance. Nozomi relaxed and sat down, releasing her hair that was in a ponytail. Cross stared as he also sat down.

"So Takeo, what's up with you and the Hyuga girl?" Takeo cocked an eyebrow and smiled.

"Why do you ask? Are you... jealous?" He then wiggled his raised eyebrow. Nozomi blushed but pouted.

"I just want to know what options are open." Nozomi retorted. Cross scoffed and closed his eyes. Nozomi focused all her rage on Cross.

"You got something to say?" Cross opened an eye and sighed.

"You say you want to know what options are open. That is ridiculous, you are jealous. There are only two options, either Takeo or none at all." Cross stated, causing Nozomi to see red. Before anyone could make a move, Team Kurenai appeared, Kiba smirking arrogantly.

"Oh hey, it's dog-breath, what do you want?" Takeo asked sarcastically while Cross stood up. Kiba walked up to Takeo and puffed his chest out while Shino and Sakura stood back, clearly not wanting to get involved.

"I came here to tell you something. You better back off Hinata, she's mine!" Kiba growled, but a smirk appeared on Takeo.

"I'll tell you what; I will continue to see Sunshine if I want to and if I don't that'll be my decision. Now how about you back off." Kiba growled again but was pushed back by Cross.

"What the..."

"You and I have a score to settle, mutt. Now stand and fight me!" Cross yelled angrily. Kiba stood up and smirked.

"Naw, you're not the one I want to fight. I'm not interested." Kiba said as he redirected his attention to Takeo, who still had that smirk on his face. Cross snarled and rushed towards Kiba.

"Well get interested!"

Sasuke jumped back as he dodged another kunai thrown by the odd grass nin. Haku and Hinata stayed back as they watched Sasuke 'handle' the grass nin like he said he would. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like Sasuke was 'handling' the grass nin. In fact just the opposite as the grass nin kicked Sasuke back and landed on his back.

"Truly pathetic Sasuke. If you keep going in this pace, you'll never catch up to Itachi." Sasuke eyes filled with rage as he once again ran at the grass nin. That was exactly what she was hoping for. She was about to extend her neck when suddenly a weird ice mirror appeared in between Sasuke and the grass nin. Haku's image then flashed in the mirror as she threw senbon at the grass nin. The grass nin moved out of the way and threw her own kunai but they parried off the mirror. Sasuke roared out in anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I told you I'd handle it!" Haku just looked back before continuing the attack while replying.

"You were losing and if you lose, you might die. That is not an option when it comes to this exam and to being a Konoha ninja." Haku stated, dodging the grass nin's latest kunai. Sasuke growled and seethed; he didn't believe team work actually worked, he thought it actually softened you up. If you rely on someone, that only meant you were too weak to rely on yourself. Sasuke then got up and went to fight the grass nin. If Haku got in the way, he wasn't to blame. Hinata watched as her two teammates fought, staying behind to guard the heaven scroll they had.

A mile away from their fight, Kiba and Cross were in a fight of their own. Cross blocked a savage punched aimed at his head and twisted Kiba's hand. Kiba yelped as he back away, though he couldn't. Cross backed his left fist and hit Kiba in the gut, sending him into the air. Cross took advantage of the situation and started doing hand signs.

"**Lightning style: Lightning Needle Jutsu!**" Lightning struck Cross' left hand and he aimed at Kiba. Thousands of lightning needles headed for Kiba's body. Kiba closed his eyes and awaited the pain. Each needle struck the front of Kiba's body. Kiba fell down, having to obey the law of gravity, and slammed into the ground, unmoving and smouldering. Shino moved to pick him up but was stopped by cold metal touching his neck.

"Well, how about you show us you're scroll and depending on which one you have will depend on how long you'll live." Takeo said coldly. It shook Shino to his core, though he didn't show it. He nodded his head to Sakura and she pulled out a heaven scroll. Takeo growled and re-sheathed his sword.

"Take your teammate and go." Takeo ordered. Shino went over and picked up Kiba. Then he and Sakura disappeared, leaving team Kumo alone again, well, almost.

"**Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!**" A vortex/whirlpool of fire and water attacked the Kumo group, causing them to separate and regroup. Sadly, the attack's after blast made Takeo fly deeper into the forest. His team was about to follow after him but a strong genjutsu was placed over them, causing them to lose consciousness. A cloaked figure appeared in the clearing and dragged them to the side of a tree. The figure looked in the direction where Takeo went and smirked.

"Pay back is sweet." A second figure with a similar looking cloak jumped into the same clearing and looked at the shorter figure.

"Looks like you mastered that jutsu." The shorter figure shook its head and explained.

"No, I still have a little trouble controlling it. I meant to hit Takeo but he moved at the last second. Luckily, it still was enough to hurt him. If my guess is correct, he should be unconscious right now."

[*.*.*.*]

"**Fire style: Fireball jutsu!**" Sasuke roared as he spat out a huge fireball. It headed for the grass nin who summoned a huge snake. The grass nin jumped off the snake as it was engulfed by the fireball, making it return to its world. Haku quickly appeared behind the grass nin and threw a senbon made of ice. It scratched the grass nin's face making her... her skin to peel.

"Look what you did, that's not good." The grass nin was suddenly out of sight. Haku, Sasuke and Hinata looked everywhere for the odd grass nin. With her byakugan, Hinata saw a chakra signature behind Haku.

"Haku, behind you!" Hinata warned but was too late. The grass nin morphed out of the tree branch Haku was standing on and chopped Haku behind the head, knocking her out. Before the grass nin could do anything else, Sasuke sent a barrage of shuriken at the grass nin. She jumped back and watched as they barely missed Haku.

"Sasuke, be careful of Haku!" Hinata said but Sasuke just scoffed and continued to fight the grass nin. Sasuke took out shurikens and threw them at the grass nin whose back was against a tree. The shuriken missed the grass nin and she was about to mock him when she noticed the shuriken return and tie her up to the tree with wire. She struggled against the wire but stopped short after Sasuke continued his attack.

"**Fire style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!**" A huge fire rapidly formed on the wires and headed for the grass nin. The grass nin had only time to scream before the fire engulfed her. Sasuke kneeled down panting. He had an arrogant smirk on his face and was about to pick up Haku when a neck extended itself and the grass nin's head rushed at Sasuke. Sasuke was too tired to move so he couldn't move out of the way when the grass nin bit his neck.

Sasuke grabbed his neck in pain and fell down. The grass nin retracted her neck and Hinata and Sasuke saw more of her face peel off. Under her skin, another skin as pale as snow was there and her eye looked like one of a snake.

"W-What did you do to Sasuke?" Hinata yelled in anger. The grass nin just chuckled in a manly voice.

"Just something to remember me by. Sasuke will soon seek me out, just to obtain my power. But I can't have you three not continue the exams so as my parting gift," The grass nin threw her earth scroll and it landed at Hinata's feet. "You can have my scroll; it has no use for me. I'll see you around... Sasuke." The grass nin vanished and was nowhere to be seen. Hinata picked up the earth scroll and ran over to Sasuke after picking up Haku. Sasuke meanwhile was on the floor, holding his neck and groaning in pain.

"Sasuke, are you ok?" Sasuke didn't answer; he was too busy groaning from all the agonizing pain he felt on his neck. Suddenly, Takeo appeared from the sky and crashed into a branch ten feet away from Hinata. Hinata gasped and went to see if he was alright. When she got there, she saw that he was unconscious. She sighed and wondered how she was going to help her team and Takeo as well.

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata was sitting in front of an empty tree while her teammates and Takeo rested inside. She was able to set up traps before it became night. Now she was currently resting and was holding up fine until she was starting to feel sleepy. She closed her eyes for a second before she opened it again because she heard someone walking towards the tree her team was resting in. She got up and pulled out a kunai. She looked around and saw no one, not a single thing. She went back in the tree and waited for her teammates or at least Takeo to wake up. She noticed earlier that his right leg was burned by fire and yet his clothes showed signs of being wet. Actually, almost his entire right side of his body was burned and wet.

"What happened to you?" Hinata asked quietly.

"I think I can answer that." Someone said from outside the tree. Hinata once again got in her defensive mode and slowly went outside the tree. When she was out, she saw a clocked figure standing nonchalantly outside, not moving as his clock flowed with the wind.

"Who are you?" Hinata asked, not wanting to take any chance. The mysterious person chuckled and walked closer to Hinata.

"Don't come any closer and reveal yourself!" Hinata warned. The figure's chuckle grew into laughter as it walked closer and closer to Hinata. Her hand started shaking until she gripped it tightly and ran towards the mysterious person. The person removed his hood, showing who he really was and made Hinata stop in her tracks. The mysterious person eye smiled as his blond hair flowed freely in the air.

"Hey Hinata-hime, long time no see." Naruto said as he stood in front of Hinata. Hinata just starred with wide eyes as her first love, her only love, stood in front of her. After all she had felt and been through for a whole six and a half months, he was just casually standing in front of her like nothing has happened. Her anger boiled up and she pushed him back, shocking him in the process.

"'Long time no see?' Is that all you have to say Naruto-kun? After six months of not seeing each other, that's the best you can come up with? I have waited for you to come back and every day I grew more and more disappointed when I didn't see you, and then you come here and tell me 'Long time no see'! Do you even care about me?" Hinata yelled, tears streaming down her face. Naruto pulled down his mask and smiled a sad smile.

"You're right, I should say something else but I can't take those words back. And yes, I care for you deeply; I told you before I love you and I always will." Naruto leaned down and kissed Hinata softly on the lips before she could respond. Hinata's eyes widened as she felt Naruto's lips softly touch hers. She felt the warmth she got from his kisses again, and it felt just as warm and great as it was the first time. She could feel her anger at the blonde ninja begin to fade, and she tried to force it back – but it was when she felt Naruto's tears on her cheek that she realized that he had been through the same pain. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as she cried happily into the kiss, and he gently wrapped his arms around Hinata's waist; pulling her closer to his body.

When they parted for air, Naruto snuggled Hinata's neck, hastily wiping the tears away from his eyes.

"Please don't leave me, not again." Hinata pleaded as she felt his lips kiss her neck. It sent small shivers all over her body and she enjoyed every minute of it. Naruto brought his head up and starred at her eyes with such intensity that she started to blush. Naruto then smiled warmly and kissed her again.

"I won't leave you again Hinata, I finally have you again and I won't give you up without a fight. Like you told me, when people are in love, the time they spend together is like heaven and the times apart is like hell. I've spent the last six and a half months living in hell without my beautiful angel there to lead me to heaven. I wish I could be in the exams with you but I can't; it'll confuse everyone and complicate everything. I'll be watching over you Hinata, a promise is a promise after all. One last thing..."

Naruto kissed Hinata, this time with more love and passion than the one before it. He picked her up and walked inside the hollow tree. He laid her down as he removed his cloak while still kissing Hinata. He put his cloak under Hinata's head and she let her head rest on it. Naruto then started kissing her neck; she arched her neck so he could get more access. She had a small smile on her face, this was the happiest she had ever been. Naruto stopped and looked Hinata in the eye, giving her a serious expression.

"Be careful of Takeo – I know you've felt it; he's not who you think he is." He warned before Hinata fell asleep.

While all of this is happening, a second Naruto was at Ichiraku's, waiting for Ayame to return. Even though he was a clone, he was still hungry, which he thought was odd. Therefore, he ordered a ramen and started eating. Soon, that one ramen became two, then five, and then ten until Ayame came back.

"Hey Naruto, here's the pictures you wanted." Ayame said, handing Naruto about five pictures. Naruto looked through them and smiled.

"Alright, Hinata-hime is going to love these."

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata fluttered her eyes as she woke up and saw Takeo. Takeo was over her and smiled when he saw that she was awake.

"Hey there Sunshine, how'd you sleep?" Hinata sat up straight and looked around; the sun was rising and Takeo still badly injured. She then remembered the night before and what Takeo just said.

_'It was a dream? Naruto-kun didn't really come here?'_ Hinata thought depressingly. She lies back down and felt something soft under her head. She picked it up and saw it was the cloak Naruto had been wearing. She smiled brightly and hugged the cloak like her life depended on it, one single, solitary tear of happiness soaking into the dark material. Takeo just watched, confused.

"That yours Sunshine?" Takeo asked. Hinata looked at him and smiled.

"Yes, It is." Hinata relived the whole night in her mind, from her angry shove to their breath-taking kiss. She smiled so brightly that even a blind person would need to block their eyes so then he wouldn't suffer from its radiance. Though Takeo was just confused, he didn't understand what was so special about the cloak. The sounds of a trap being set off filled the morning air and Hinata and Takeo looked outside to see the only team from Oto standing casually in the clearing.

"Well, what do we have here?" The leader of the Oto team said. The female of the team scoffed at Hinata.

"She looks weak, not worth my time." The girl said. The leader who looked like a mummy laughed and replied.

"Yes, she does doesn't she. Zaku, you take care of the silver haired brat, Kin, you handle the girl while I go after the Uchiha." A mirror made of ice appeared in front of the leader and Haku's image appeared and threw her senbon at them. Zaku moved in front of everyone and wind started coming from his hands, making Haku's senbon useless. Zaku smiled haughtily as he saw Haku's reaction.

"It's useless to use your kunai or shuriken; I have tubes in my arms that when I apply my chakra to it, it releases pressurized air and sends it out of my arms. Watch!" Zaku explained as he released more pressurized air, shattering Haku's mirror. Haku fell down and panted.

"I guess I still haven't recovered enough chakra." Haku stated as she stood. She vanished and reappeared in front of Zaku and grabbed both his hands with one of hers. He smirked.

"Now what?" Haku smiled as well and made one handed hand signs.

"**Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death!**" She jumped back before the thousand ice needles struck Zaku.

In another area of the clearing, Hinata was avoiding the Kin's senbon. Hinata noticed each had a string attached to it and a bell at the end. Then, everything started getting hazy and there were multiple kins around her. Hinata closed her eyes and shook her head but she was still a little dizzy and was starting to sway. A hard kick in the gut sent Hinata flying back and landed on the ground, coughing and spitting out a little blood as she stood. She took out a couple of Kunai and threw one at each Kin. The Kins jumped back, which didn't help Hinata figure out who the real one was.

She then remembered the bells; they were probably the reason why she felt dizzy. She looked back as saw the senbon with the bells. Hinata took out her last kunai and placed an explosive tag on it and threw it at the bells. They went off immediately, destroying the bells and giving Hinata her stability back. She looked for Kin and ducked under a punched meant for her head. She jumped back from a leg sweep and activated her byakugan.

Takeo punched Dosu, as the mummy called himself, but was blocked by Dosu's left arm. When he hit, Takeo felt something hard and saw it was a sound gauntlet. He jumped back and waited for Dosu to do something. Dosu just smirked as Takeo's vision became blurry and he felt sick to his stomach. He fell to his knees and held his ears. Blood started to escape as he yelled in pain. He looked up; one eye closed, and saw Dosu look like he was talking but he didn't hear a word. He slowly stood up and made some hand signs. He then held his left hand out and aimed at Dosu.

"**Elemental style: Bane Wa...**" Takeo once again fell to his knees, his whole right side of his body hurting from yesterday's ambush, not to mention the fact that he felt light-headed.

_'Damn you Naruto...'_ Dosu walked closer to Takeo, Takeo still not hearing what Dosu had to say. He was in deep trouble and he knew it. It would take a miracle to pull off a victory in his condition. His pain was starting to catch up to him as he fell face first to the ground. He was going in and out of consciousness and the last thing he saw was Dosu backing off and someone jump in between them.

Zaku had managed to send pressurized air around him in the last second, so he didn't die but that didn't mean he was left unscathed. Haku was currently panting as she tried to catch her breath. It was difficult for her to use chakra to make ice needles out of the condensation in the air. Luckily, the morning dew was around to make it easier for her. Now she was faced with a problem; she was almost out of chakra and Zaku was still in decent shape to finish the fight. Fortunately for her, Cross jumped from nowhere and punched Zaku in the face. While Zaku flew back, he started making some hand signs.

"**Fire Style: Misty Flames Dance Jutsu!**" Cross spat out a mist of some liquid and it went all over Zaku. When he got up, he started to blow most of the liquid away from his body until only his arms were still wet. Before he was able to blow it off his arms, Cross appeared behind him and sends a small spark to his arms, igniting the liquid and engulfing Zaku's arms in flames. Zaku acted quickly and blew the fire away, saving his arms in the process. Though they were burned and hurt badly, he was still able to use them. Then he felt a dark presence that made itself known.

Hinata was able to block out most of Kin's, the Oto nin, chakra points and Kin was done. She was trying hard to stand but Hinata blocked the chakra points on her legs too. To make sure she wouldn't cause trouble, Hinata swiftly hit her in the back of her head and knocked her out. Hinata turned to Takeo unconscious on the floor and Nozomi in front of him, preparing a jutsu. When she finished, Hinata saw Nozomi hold her hand out and lightning shoot out.

"**Lightning Style: Shattering Thunder!**" It struck Dosu but then he disappeared and replaced with a log. He ran out of his hiding spot and punched her in the back. Dosu was about to continue his attack when he felt a sudden evil presence behind him. He turned and saw Sasuke standing outside with some purple aura moving around him. Zaku smiled moved away from cross as he regrouped with Dosu.

"That's who Orochimaru-sama wants us to kill, humph, doesn't seem like he's worth Orochimaru's time." Zaku then held his hands and let go of the pressurized air.

"Zaku wait..." But it was too late; the air was released and destroyed everything in its way which was Sasuke. The air kicked up dust and surrounded the area. When it cleared, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Zaku smirked arrogantly and scoffed.

"That was sad."

"What did you say?" Zaku turned and saw Sasuke but before he could completely turn, Sasuke backhanded him, sending him flying. Zaku righted himself and faced Sasuke. Sasuke started making hand signs and put his hand to his mouth.

"**Fire style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!**" Three small sized fires flew to Zaku. Zaku again released air and blew the fires away but hidden in them were shuriken. Zaku's eyes widened in pain as the shurikens buried themselves in his skin. Faster than anyone could follow, Sasuke grabbed Zaku's hands from behind and put his left foot on his back as Zaku kneeled down. Sasuke started pulling his arms out of their sockets and Zaku yelled in agonizing pain.

"So, you must be proud of these two arms huh." A loud popping sound could be heard all around the forest along with an ear-piercing scream of pain. Zaku fell down unconscious, his arms bent back and broken as they fell at his side.

"You're the only one left standing." Sasuke said as he walked closer to Dosu. "I hope you put up a better fight!" Sasuke said before rushing forward only to be stopped by a running clothesline. Sasuke fell hard but jumped back, regaining his composure. When he saw who stopped him he scoffed.

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke asked the guy in front of him who was wearing a cloak with a hood, blocking his face. The only thing visible about the mysterious person was the lower part of his face and even then it wasn't seen because of the mask it wore. The person just smirked and disappeared. Sasuke jumped to the left, expecting the person to show up and hit him from behind but the mysterious person actually sent an axe kick from the air. When it connected, Sasuke's head hit the ground, forcing him once again to lose consciousness. The mysterious person turned to Dosu and Dosu gasped.

Dosu hasn't felt this much chakra since Orochimaru. It wasn't as much but it was way beyond anything he could handle.

"We can't defeat you at a time like this. Let us go and we'll leave you the earth scroll." Dosu put the earth scroll on the floor. He looked at the mysterious person, looking for signs of approval. When he didn't do anything, he coninued. "Let me warn you now though, if we meet again during the Chunin exams, we'll neither hide or run. We will win and gain Orochimaru's approval." Dosu collected his unconscious team and made to leave only to be stopped by Hinata's question.

"Who's Orochimaru and what does he want with Sasuke?" Dosu turned to look and her but then turned back.

"Answer her!" The mysterious person roared. Dosu stopped and turned to Hinata.

"I don't know. We were just ordered to search and kill Sasuke." Dosu then jumped out of the clearing and of sight. Hinata relaxed and fell back, only to be caught by the not so mysterious stranger.

"I'm fine Naruto-kun; you don't need to hold me." Hinata said, not wanting to be too spoiled, though she really didn't mind it in the least. She saw Naruto smile under his mask.

"I know." Hinata blushed and giggled while pulling his mask down and giving him another kiss. During their little make out, the tall ninja; Naruto's comrade, was in the shadows, writing down something in a pad. Luckily for Hinata, Sasuke was unconscious, Nozomi was checking on Takeo and Cross was checking on Haku while she told him she was ok. They were all too busy to see what Hinata and Naruto were up to. When they parted, Naruto hugged Hinata one more time before getting the earth scroll and tossing it to Hinata. When Hinata caught it, she looked back up and saw that Naruto was gone. She was somewhat disappointed but that wasn't enough to bring her down since she now knew he was safe, alive, in Konoha, and most of all that his love for her, and hers for him hadn't faded in the slightest; if anything it had grown stronger.

She walked over to Sasuke and made sure he was ok. He was breathing and that was good enough for her. She had been having a tough week and it was only half over. She still had about three more days until she and her team had to arrive at the tower in the middle of the forest. She wished she could be at home taking a long, hot shower or at least with Naruto. She saw Takeo starting to regain consciousness so she dragged Sasuke over to the others and would hope the Kumo ninjas would help them out for a while, at least until Sasuke woke up.

Up in the trees, Naruto met up with the two other ninjas in cloaks. The bigger, taller ninja smirked while the other stayed passive.

"Good job Naruto!" The bigger ninja praised, Naruto only smirked.

"It seems you have a deep relationship with the Hyuga, but why didn't you take out Takeo now, then you wouldn't have anything to worry about later." The other ninja stated. Naruto just shrugged.

"I'm sure I can take out Takeo now but then again he's not fit to fight. Where's the fun in that? Besides..." The other two ninjas listened closely as Naruto spoke again. "When I fight him, I don't want him to complain that it wasn't fair. Even though he is similar to me, he's nothing like me and I'll prove it." The bigger ninja smiled and patted his back while the other nodded.

"So Itachi-sensei, Ero-sennin... how about we get out of here and start my training? I have a feeling I'm going to need it."

* * *

**That's it, hope you liked the naruhina moment...**

**Did this chapter clear up most of the confusing parts in the story...?**

**I hope so... Also, if you guys have any questions about the story or just want to chat about it, you can PM me...**

**So yeah, keep reading and review please, makes me feel better about the story!**

**By the way, can someone tell me how the Naruhina moment was... i want to see how many people liked it...  
**

**Next Chapter: Promise vs. promise, whose will is stronger? Part 2**

******So good bye and good luck with whatever!**


	12. Promise vs promise, part 2

**Finally... I can't tell you how good it is to update again...**

**I'm sorry it took so long but I got school and homework so it does get a bit troublesome...**

**But I'll try to update once a week... _maybe..._**

**Anyways, please review and let me know what you think of the story so far, I'd really appreciate it and it'd get me to update faster!**

**Without furtherado...**

**Chapter 12: ****Promise vs. promise, whose will is stronger? Part 2**

**Enjoy!**

******DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"I'm sure I can take out Takeo now but then again he's not fit to fight. Where's the fun in that? Besides..." The other two ninjas listened closely as Naruto spoke again. "When I fight him, I don't want him to complain that it wasn't fair. Even though he is similar to me, he's nothing like me and I'll prove it." The bigger ninja smiled and patted his back while the other nodded._

_"So Itachi-sensei, Ero-sennin... how about we get out of here and start my training? I have a feeling I'm going to need it."_

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto jumped back as a blade came down on him. As the battle toad lifted his weapon again, Naruto ran at him and jumped over him to kick him behind the head. The battle toad came down hard and returned to the world he was summoned from. Naruto instinctively jumped up and watched as a tongue tried to grab him. Naruto landed on the toad's tongue as it retracted back to its mouth. At the last second, Naruto jumped up and kick the battle toad on its head while he was upside down. It disappeared and Naruto was left victorious from his brawl with Jiraiya's battle toads.

Naruto was amazed that Jiraiya hadn't gone off to continue what he calls his 'research'. That's basically how he met him, while he was conducting his 'research'. Naruto sighed; he couldn't believe everything he went through the last six months. He looked up and saw a bird fly by, passing under the sun. The sun was free to shine on the Earth without the interruption of clouds to get in its way. It was a nice day right now, though Naruto couldn't enjoy it. He was too busy thinking about Hinata and the loneliness he's endured in the last six months.

Before he could continue to reminisce, he flipped back a couple of times when he sensed Jiraiya running up to him with a massive amount of chakra in his palm. When he looked, he was amazed by what he saw. He saw a spiralling orb made from chakra rotating at an insane speed while maintaining its structure in his palm. Naruto was shocked after he saw the amount of damage the spiralling orb does when it comes in contact with something. The spiral left a decent sized crater after Jiraiya finished his attack.

"Whoa, what was that?" Naruto asked in amazement. Jiraiya just smirked as he dusted himself off. He then jumped out of the crater and stood tall.

"That brat is the number one jutsu of the Fourth Hokage. He made it in three years and taught it to me. I guess I could teach it to you..."

"Really, that would be great!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Though, I don't know if I have the inspiration to teach right now..." Naruto's hopes were crushed. He knew what he meant and seriously hated him when he got like that. But of course, Jiraiya had to wiggle his eyebrows, telling him what he wished wasn't so, was true.

"Fine but only if you promise that you'll teach me that move." Jiraiya nodded his head eagerly and Naruto sighed. "You're getting too dependent of this jutsu you know..." After some hand signs, Naruto ended on the modified ram sign.

"**Sexy Jutsu!**" Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke and was replaced with a naked, blond haired girl who had certain parts covered with smoke that mysteriously didn't disappear.

"Please Master Jiraiya... Please teach me that move. I would be eternally grateful." The girl said in a seductive voice. On the inside, Naruto was resisting the urge to throw up. He can't really believe he created this move. In all honesty, he made it shortly after he met Jiraiya to convince him to train him. It was a double sided blade for Naruto; it worked against older or perverted men and got him in a lot of trouble with girls and women. Obviously, he refrained from using it when in the presence of a female, Nozomi made sure to make him understand this. The only time he would use this is in a tight spot or when Jiraiya is acting stubborn.

"Alright, of course..." Jiraiya agreed, a small amount of blood coming down from his nose. The blond girl sighed and poof-end away, Naruto was then seen in her place with a solemn expression. Jiraiya's perverted smile disappeared and he pouted for a second before getting into a serious mood.

"Ok now before I teach you this move, we got to head into town to grab some stuff. Since we're still in the Forest of Death that's pretty far from town, and since you want to watch your girlfriend fight in the preliminary rounds that's about to start, you go there while I get the equipment." Jiraiya told Naruto. Naruto was disappointed yet ecstatic. He really wanted to learn that jutsu but the disappointment disappeared when he heard Hinata going to the preliminaries. He nodded and was about to head for the tower in the center of the forest but remembered something.

"If I find out that you were in the hot springs doing your 'research', I hunt you down with Akio and you know how she feels about perverts." Naruto threatened. Jiraiya tensed up and chuckled sheepishly.

"Have fun kid!" Jiraiya said before leaving in a swirl of leaves. Naruto sighed and headed for the tower. He knew Jiraiya was going to peep on the women in the springs so he would settle on getting him back later...

"After I see Hinata-hime fight and kick ass! Dattebayo!" Naruto stated as he drew closer to the tower. He stopped soon and jumped back as a shower of kunai almost hit him. Naruto grabbed a kunai that flew passed him and threw it back in the direction of where he first saw the kunai coming from. He heard the sound of a clone dispersing and he cursed.

"Come on out, I know your there teme!" Naruto yelled, gripping his kunai. He really missed his swords and now was the perfect chance to get them back. The sounds of leaves rustling could be heard all over him. Naruto braced himself for anything, knowing how cunning his opponent could be. He heard an evil laugh echo in the forest, not knowing exactly where to pinpoint it.

"Very well Naruto..." Takeo said as he appeared with about twenty more shadow clones, each carrying two swords. The supposed leader swung both swords in each hand, showing of and occasionally making them touch, scratching the blade. Naruto growled as he saw this and wanted to attack but with his year training with Amir, he knew it would be unwise.

"Tch... What is it you want now Takeo? I'm not after your life at the moment so you should be enjoying the time you have left in this world." Naruto said in a low, threatening voice. Takeo just kept his smirk on his face and watched as Naruto stayed in his stance.

"I know. I'm not here to defend myself. I'm here to make sure you don't enter the tower. You see, I know you're going to hide in the shadows as you watch Sunshine fight..."

"Don't call her that! Don't give her nicknames like you're in love with her or something... You are not me, you're not even human!" Naruto yelled, his patience slipping while his aggression and killer intent grew.

"True, I'm not human, but..." Takeo said slowly. "Who said I wasn't in love with her?" Takeo said lustfully. Naruto clenched his fist and teeth together.

"She is a very sexy girl, very ripe. I love them that way. When she first saw me, she forgot all about you, she didn't even know you were still alive and I think she didn't care. She just had eyes for me and that's how it's going to stay. You two might have developed feelings for each other in the beginning but she'll start a new life, a new family with me. I promised you that I will win her over, whether your there to stop me or not." Takeo said as his clones readied their swords. Naruto knew what Takeo was doing, he'd done it before, and that's how he's standing there at that moment. Naruto though wasn't going to fall for it. He smiled mirthlessly as he spoke up to Takeo.

"You teme, I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. I know how you think, how much of teme you could be. I'll warn you now..." Naruto held his fist out, pointing at Takeo and his clones.

"I'm not here to play. **Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!**" Naruto said as Takeo eyes widened and jumped out of the way as the rest of his clones were destroyed from the flying whirlpool of fire and water. Unfortunately, Naruto was able to turn the attack at the last second and hit Takeo's left leg. He supported his leg as he fell to the ground. After adjusting to the pain, he looked up and saw Naruto looking down on him, like he was going to give him his judgment.

"Tell the real Takeo that I can't wait to do this to the real him." Naruto told the last Takeo as he did some hand signs and stopped on the tiger sign.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!**" Naruto inhaled deeply and exhaled a fireball, cremating the last clone, making it disperse and leave him alone. Naruto fell to a knee and panted. He wasn't sure if he could handle more clones. After a couple of minutes, Naruto stood up and walked to the tower. He hoped that the little detour didn't make him miss Hinata's fight. Just thinking about Hinata got his spirits up and started running again.

"Just wait for me Hinata-hime." Naruto said to himself.

[*.*.*.*]

Shikamaru lazily waited as the Hokage finished lecturing them about how important this exam was. He really just wanted to go to a roof and watch the clouds pass by. They were less troublesome then his life currently was.

He unenthusiastically looked to his left and saw his teammates. Choji was eating chips that he got from who knows where and Ino was currently in deep thought. If he had to take a guess, he'd have to say that she was still reliving the whole Gaara killing thing in her head again. Shikamaru knew it wasn't a pretty sight, or the best thing to see. Of course the kill affected him, but he put it aside as troublesome and to reflect on later. Ino though, she couldn't do that, she probably only saw the guts and blood of those Ame nins flying everywhere. Shikamaru shivered when he remembered what Gaara told his siblings when they asked him why he killed them.

_"They looked at me the wrong way..."_

Shikamaru looked up front and saw a sickly looking jounin stand in front of the surviving Genin, giving instructions of how the test will go. After he explained the rules, he asked if anyone wanted to quit now; Kabuto raised his hands and left. Kabuto was lucky to make it to this round and it was tempting for Shikamaru to do the same but he didn't want Ino to get troublesome. In his opinion, they were all pretty lucky; all the Konoha Genin who entered the Forest of Death came out alive or were standing in this place. There was also the Genin from Suna, Sound, and Kumo. One of the Kumo Genin looked like he had better days but they all looked like that. Though the red haired Genin looked like he just came from a spa. He didn't have a scratch on him and his clothes were intact, in fact his whole team looks like they never even fought during the exam.

Shikamaru would've thought more on this but was interrupted by Ino.

"Come on Shikamaru, we need to go to the stands." She said passively. Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow as he followed his team to the stands. Ino was usually troublesome and would've yelled at him but now, she was being passive. That wasn't the Ino he knew, not the one that was troublesome anyway.

"What a drag." He said when he leaned on the rails, wondering when the fighting will start so the exams could end faster. He looked lazily at the board and watched as it ran through random names. It finally stopped and the first ninjas to fight were...

**Sasuke Uchiha V.S Yoroi Akado**

Sasuke casually walked down to the arena, trying to ignore the small pain he felt in his neck. He was stopped from Kakashi before and warned him if he unleashed the curse mark's power than he will personally stop the match and deal with him. Sasuke had scoffed at him and told him he didn't need anyone's power, though he did wonder how powerful he could get with that power. Kakashi sighed and hoped he didn't use the curse mark.

Yoroi jumped over the rail and landed on his side of the arena. He smirked at Sasuke and he stood passively on the other side and Sasuke scoffed at Kabuto.

"Whatever, let's get this over with." He said arrogantly. Hayate Gekko, the exam's sick looking proctor, looked towards both fighters to see if they were ready.

"Well if you're ready, let the match begin." The proctor announced lazily.

"Oh I'm ready." Yoroi said as he started summoning chakra while Sasuke got into his stance. They both decided to start with a little target practice. Yoroi threw three shuriken and Sasuke retaliated with three kunai. Yoroi ducked and Sasuke fell, feeling the curse mark activating. He suppressed the pain and noticed Yoroi disappear. He looked up and moved just in time as Yoroi punched the ground. Sasuke rolled and stopped himself with the fourth kunai he took out.

He used the momentum and timing to hit Yoroi behind the knees and brought him down. As he was coming down, Sasuke grabbed his arm and put him in an arm bar. Sasuke smirked victoriously but then Yoroi's arm started glowing with chakra. He grabbed Sasuke by his shirt and Sasuke suddenly felt his strength leaving him. He released Yoroi but he wasn't done. Yoroi stood up and grabbed his neck, his hand still glowing with his chakra.

Sasuke was starting to feel faint and his vision blurred. His arms limply fell to his side and he closed his left eye. Orochimaru, who was disguised as the jounin instructor for team Oto, watched on and wondered how the Uchiha survivor was going to get himself out of that.

_'Don't be a waste of time Uchiha.'_ He thought as Sasuke's arm kept twitching. With the little strength he could summon, he kicked Yoroi back, giving him some space to recover. Yoroi quickly got up and recharged his hand. He ran at Sasuke again and tried to grab him. Sasuke kept dodging and Yoroi barely touched him but it was enough to send Sasuke to his knees and roll away before he could get caught.

"What's wrong Uchiha, tired already?" Yoroi mocked. Sasuke growled as someone fire looking black marks started to cover the left side of his face. Sasuke stopped it immediately; he didn't need anyone's help. Orochimaru frowned, hoping that he would use the power. Yoroi grew impatient so he charged at Sasuke, reminding Sasuke of his short fight with Lee.

He ducked under the thrust and kicked Yoroi in the chin, sending him flying in the air. Sasuke vanished and reappeared behind Yoroi, placing his index and middle fingers on Yoroi's back.

"I got to say, I didn't necessarily make this move but from here on out, it's all original." Sasuke spun him to his left and tried to kick him in the ribs but Yoroi blocked it. He was about to mock him but Sasuke rolled under him and back handed him in the chin, getting a critical hit. As they both headed for the ground, Sasuke forced his fist on Yoroi's gut and then spun around again. Before either hit the floor, Sasuke delivered one last axe kick to Yoroi's stomach, causing the concrete under them to crack.

"**Lion's Barrage!**" Sasuke yelled, completing his attack and ending the match. Sasuke weakly stood up as Yoroi remained unconscious. Lee's eyes widened but then he clenched his teeth.

"Hey, get your own damn move!" He yelled, causing Tenten to try to calm him down.

"The winner of this match... Sasuke Uchiha." The sick Hayate said, causing two of Sasuke's biggest fan girls to cheer loudly. Kakashi poofed next to Sasuke and placed his hand on his shoulder. After a small talk, Kakashi and Sasuke both disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

A cloaked boy entered the arena quietly and walked up the stairs to the stands, making sure no one noticed. He entered right when Sasuke landed the kick, making him smile.

_'That Sasuke, always trying to one up everyone.'_ The boy walked up the stairs and walked over to where he saw Takeo.

Takeo walked over to where he saw Hinata and stood next to her. Hinata looked at him and smiled brightly – forcing it onto her face.

"Hey." Takeo said. Hinata waved and waited for the medics to get Yoroi out of the arena. Takeo also waited but then noticed a small killer intent. He looked to his left and saw a red haired boy walk over to him. He had a midnight blue cloak much like Cross'. He walked up and passed him, nodding his head to Haku, confusing her entirely, and leaning against the rail mere centimetres from Hinata. Hinata also noticed the red haired boy but paid no mind to him.

"Hello there hime." The mysterious boy said to Hinata. Takeo and Kiba, who really had no business listening but decided to anyways, both got mad while Hinata blushed and wondered why he called her that. After looking at his unbelievable blue eyes, she understood why. Her blush deepened and she giggled happily.

"Why h-hello there kind stranger." She greeted back. The mysterious boy closed his eyes and smiled.

"You're a very beautiful girl. You wouldn't by any chance have a boyfriend, would you?" The boy said. Hinata giggled louder, knowing what he was doing.

"Actually, I-I do. He's a very special boy, one that has my whole heart." The boy's smile grew and he rubbed the back of his head while Takeo and Kiba's anger kept growing.

"He's a lucky dog to have a devoted girlfriend like you. I'd be careful if I was him or someone just might try to take you away from him." The mysterious red head said as he silently sent a glare at Takeo. Hinata caught it and lightly slapped the boy on the arm.

"D-Don't worry a-about me, I'm a strong willed girl and b-besides," She placed her right hand on top of the red head's left hand that was on the rail.

"No one can compare to my Naruto-kun." Takeo raised an eyebrow at this interaction between the two and wondered if they had met before. Kiba was fuming but Shino held him back. Before anyone could do anything about the red head's presence, the next fighters' names were chosen.

**Shikamaru Nara V.S Kin Tsuchi**

Shikamaru lazily made his way to the arena below while Kin jumped over the rail, much like Yoroi. When Shikamaru finally came down, Hayate had let them start.

Kin jumped back and took out some senbon. Shikamaru raised his eyebrow and was wary of the Oto nin. She then three her senbon and Shikamaru dodge them, letting them hit the wall behind him. He heard a small jingle behind him but thought nothing of it. He waited for kin to continue her attack but then noticed everything get fuzzy and saw more Kins.

"W-What?" Kin smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I guess you see it now, you see about five of me. That means that my tricked work, men are such idiots." Shikamaru grunted while trying to get orientated again. He looked back at the senbon and saw small bells, and a wire barely visible that was attached to the senbon to make the bells sound off, completing her genjutsu trick. He smirked and made a hand sign.

"Justus aren't going to help you if you don't know who to aim to..." She then felt her body stiffen. She tried to move her right arm but it wouldn't listen. She tried her left leg but it still wouldn't move. She looked up with wide eyes and saw Shikamaru smirk.

"Shadow possession jutsu success." He said as he walked back, making Kin copy his movements. He stopped about four feet in front of the wall behind him. He moved his right hand to his pouch, taking out a couple of shuriken while Kin took out some senbon.

"W-What are you doing? You throw yours, I throw mine and then you'll dodge and so will I. All you'll be doing is wasting our weapons." Shikamaru's reply was a smirk.

"Eh, you say that..." Shikamaru then threw his shurikens, making Kin throw hers as well. Shikamaru bent back and the senbon missed. Kin smiled as she did the same. "But I beg to differ." he finished saying as she slammed her head to the wall behind her. She was out cold and fell to the ground when Shikamaru released his jutsu.

"Troublesome woman..." He said.

"The winner of this match... Shikamaru Nara." Hayate announced. Ino was surprised he won. Of course she knew he was smart but she didn't think he'd actually take the time to win. Chouji happily munched his chips while congratulating Shikamaru on his win. Temari smiled as she watched the lazy ninja walk to his spot in the stands. In her mind, he was a very interesting ninja and hope she fought him in the finals.

**Shino Aburame V.S Zaku Abumi**

Shino walked passively to the arena and Zaku also walked down, his arms still damaged from his encounter with Sasuke. When they both go down, they started the fight. Zaku removed his left hand from the cloth holding both his arms and pointed his open palm at Shino.

"Even if my right arm isn't in great shape, I bet I can still beat you." He said haughtily.

"I'll only give you one warning; give up now or suffer a humiliating defeat." Shino warned. Zaku scoffed at his warning and released the pressurized air in his arm. Shino moved out of the way and sent his bugs after Zaku. Some landed on his shirt but Zaku blew them away.

"Is that the best you can do?" Shino remained quiet, silently letting his bugs reach Zaku. "To scared to talk."

"I don't fight with my words, I fight with my skills." Shino retorted as he released majority of the bugs in his body. Zaku tried to blow them away like before but these bugs moved out of the way while still coming at him.

"You'll have to choose; fight me or the bugs." Zaku hesitated but took his right arm out of the cloth and pointed it at Shino while his left arm pointed at the bugs.

"I don't have to choose, I could just destroy you both." He said, letting the air escape his arms. Oddly enough, nothing happened. Before Zaku could do anything, air started escaping his arms, from behind his elbow, to his forearm and bicep. He yelled in pain as both arms 'exploded'. Zaku looked questionably at his arms and saw bugs blocking the tube that led the air out of his arms.

"I sent my bugs to block your tubes when you weren't looking. Since they blocked the only means of air escaping, the air started to build up until it exploded and created holes in your arms to allow it to escape. This fight is over." Shino said as he walked back to his place in the stands.

"The winner of the match... Shino Aburame." Hayate announced. Kiba patted Shino in the back and congratulated him. Shino nodded his head as Kurenai and Sakura congratulated him as well. The board then started to randomly pick names to fight.

**Nozomi Kurosaki V.S Haku**

Haku smiled, excitedly happy she's next to fight. She happily walked down and saw the mysterious red head nod his head and nodded back, a little confused but that didn't stop her happiness. As she and Nozomi walked down, the mysterious boy felt killer intent directed at him. He looked up and saw the Suna red head looking at him then tilting his head, signaling to meet him outside. The red head nodded and tapped Hinata's hand, giving her a message in Morse code. Hinata nodded her head and both red heads disappear. Hinata looked down and watched as her teammate fought against the strong kunoichi from Kumo.

Haku dodged the many lightning bolts coming from Nozomi's hands. She was very skilled with the lightning; one false move and it could mean the end of the exams for her.

[*.*.*.*]

Gaara waited for the other red head to appear. When the other boy appeared, Gaara's sand started spazing out. Gaara restrained his sand from attacking the mysterious boy. The hooded boy just waited there in front of him so he could tell him what he wanted.

"I see you came, that's good." The other red head nodded his head.

"Yeah I came, so what do you want?" The red head asked.

"You are a Jinchuuriki, are you not?" The red head stiffened but nodded his head anyways. Gaara cocked his eyebrow. "So what's with the other silver haired boy? He's giving out the same presence you are. Granted, his is lesser compared to yours, but the chakra and aura is there nonetheless." Gaara asked. The boy sighed; he was hoping no one would notice.

"Before I answer you, can you answer one of my own questions?" Gaara nodded. "How do you know I am a Jinchuuriki, are you one yourself?"

"I am the host for the one-tailed demon, Shukaku. By the way, take out that ridiculous genjutsu, I already know you're not really who you appear to be." The boy nodded and his hair turned bright blond, and he was now wearing a mask that covered everything under his eyes.

"I see I'm not as good with genjutsu as I thought." Naruto confessed as he rubbed the back of his head. Gaara just cocked an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Now... answer my question." Gaara said coldly. Naruto got serious as he sighed. He really didn't feel like telling his whole story but it didn't seem to be an option.

"Well, about half a year ago, I went to a faraway place to remake my swords. After I had them finished, I was walking home with my mom when a rock avalanche happened to occur during my trip. I was knocked out and don't remember much after that. Basically, he is like a clone of me. I host the nine-tailed fox, Kyuubi and I'm guessing some or a lot of Kyuubi's chakra was drained from me and sent to the silver haired-teme." Naruto explained. Gaara geld an unreadable expression on his face. His sand was still shaking but it held its ground.

"Interesting, but since you're not in the exams, I can kill you and enjoy your blood on my sand." Gaara said passively as his sand ricocheted to Naruto. Naruto instinctively reached for his swords but remembered he didn't have them so he jumped out of the sand's way. He applied some chakra into the soles of his feet and stuck to a nearby tree. He waited as Gaara made his sand attack him again. Naruto jumped out of the way and started making hand signs.

"**Summoning Jutsu!**" Naruto said as he touched a tree with his hands and summoned Akio. Akio jumped into the air and roared as he landed. He looked around and spotted Naruto and a red haired boy with sand floating around him. He looked at Naruto questionably.

"He's insane and wants to kill me, help me out!" Naruto said. "Attack formation Delta!" Akio nodded, inhaled and puffed out his chest. Naruto made some hand signs again.

"**Fire style: Fire Bullet!**" Akio roared as a massive fire bullet came out of his mouth.

**"Wind style: Air Bullet!**" Naruto and Akio's attack combined and headed for Gaara. Gaara redirected his sand to protect him and the jutsu exploded on impact with the sand wall. When the dust cleared, the sand turned into glass and fell to the ground, shattering as it hit the ground. Wind blew through the forest as Naruto, Gaara and Akio remained still and quiet. A small leaf passed by, signaling them to begin once more.

Naruto ran at Gaara as he lifted his sand to fend him off. Naruto slid under the sand and then flipped over the sand in his way. He threw a kunai at Gaara and then jumped back. Gaara's sand caught the kunai and he smirk victoriously.

"Boom." Naruto said as a paper tied to the kunai lit on fire. Gaara looked at the kunai before it exploded. It wasn't a major explosion so only a small portion of sand was reduced to glass. Gaara sneered as Naruto smirked.

"Why are you fighting me?" Naruto asked after getting serious.

"Because mother screams for your blood." Gaara answered solemnly again. Naruto got out of his stance and looked around. He completely turned his body but still didn't see anyone.

"But I don't hear anyone screaming or see anyone at all." Naruto said confused.

"But I hear her screaming in my head." Gaara stated.

_**'Must be Shukaku. This boy must not have been properly sealed when Shukaku was placed in him and now the boy is going insane with Shukaku's constant chatter.'**_A voice said in Naruto's head, a voice he hadn't heard in a long time.

_'Kyuubi? Where have you been? I haven't talked to you since the rock avalanche.'_ Naruto thought.

_**'When the rocks knocked you unconscious, some of its chakra moved to your head, temporarily blocking me from your mind.'**_ Naruto mentally nodded and saw Gaara trying to attack him again.

"Wait..." Naruto said, stopping Gaara. "What if I can help you? I can make the voices in your head stop talking to you, or at least limit it." Gaara's sand returned to his side and he crossed his arms. He was thinking about the proposition and was very intrigued.

"How?" Gaara finally said. Naruto scratched the back of his head and snapped his fingers.

"I know somebody who's a master when it comes to seals... _and peeping but that doesn't count_." Naruto said, saying the last part quietly. Gaara cocked an eyebrow.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because, you're like me. You were hated for the demon in you and shunned by your village. I think we jinchuurikis should stick together." Naruto said giving Gaara a thumbs up. Gaara once again thought it over.

"Ok, but not now. After the preliminaries, that's when we'll do this." Gaara stated. Naruto nodded and Akio returned to his world.

"By the way, my name's Naruto Uzumaki"

"Gaara of the Desert." Naruto nodded and then disappeared in a shroud of leaves as Gaara stayed and thought about what occurred.

_'Can I really trust him? Naruto Uzumaki...'_He thought as he disappeared and reappeared inside the arena.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto reapplied the genjutsu and appeared next to Hinata. She flinched but relaxed when she saw that it was Naruto. She sighed and lent into his shoulder and Naruto smiled. Takeo once again looked at Naruto strangely.

_'Who is this guy?'_ He thought as Gaara and Lee were called for the next fight.

"So what happened while I was gone?" Naruto asked Hinata.

"Well, Haku lost against Nozomi after Nozomi applied some lightning into the ice crystals Haku made."

"Is she alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes, she was just paralyzed for a while, long enough to declare Nozomi the winner. After that, Dosu went against Choji and won. Then it was Cross and Kiba, Misumi and Kankuro, and finally Tenten and Temari. Cross, Kankuro and Temari won their matches." Hinata summarized. Naruto nodded and watched as Lee was hitting Gaara like a pinball.

He was impressed with Lee's speed and strength. Lee wrapped his bandages around Gaara's waist before he hit the ground and hit him in the gut with his bo staff. Gaara was sent flying down and Lee landed a couple of feet away from him as a cloud of dust appeared around Gaara. Lee was panting but smiling; he was sure he had the match in the bag now. He stood up and walked away. When the dust cleared, Gaara reached his hand out and sand engulfed Lee's right leg and arm. Gaara closed his hand and the sand crushed Lee's arm and leg.

"AHH!" Lee screamed in pain. He went down and held his leg and arm as he tried to suppress the pain. Gaara sat up and was about to send more sand to finish Lee but he felt something telling him to look at Naruto and saw him shaking his head. Gaara looked at Naruto, then at Lee. He wasn't sure if he should stop now but he heard the proctor say:

"End of the match. The winner... Gaara of the Desert." Gaara glared at the proctor but just scoffed and went back to his place in the stands. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and then panicked when he realized something. There was only three people left who hadn't fought; Hinata, Neji and Takeo. Naruto knew that Neji was in the same family Hinata was in so he could trust Neji to hold back if he fought her; it was Takeo that got him worried.

The last three contenders' names started to randomly show up on the board. It finally stopped and showed the last matches' fighters and Naruto's eyes widened.

**Hinata Hyuga V.S Takeo Ryusaki**

Hinata looked at Takeo and smiled as he smiled back. She looked at Naruto and saw that he wasn't smiling.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Hinata-chan, please promise me you'll be careful. Don't mess around with Takeo; he'll hurt you whenever he gets the chance. Just be safe and please end it as quickly as you can and don't get too badly hurt." Naruto pleaded. Hinata looked at him seriously and nodded. She was about to go down the stairs when Naruto's arm stopped her and spun her around.

Before she could ask him what he wanted, he kissed her passionately. She kissed him back after getting over her shock and they parted.

"I love you." Naruto said.

"I love you too." Hinata said, feeling a little light headed. Takeo saw their intimate moment and was fuming on the inside.

_'Well, let's just see how this turns out.'_ Takeo thought as he smirked deviously. Hinata walked down to the arena and waited for the match to start. She was thinking about Naruto's warning and how serious he sounded.

"If you're both ready you may begin." Hayate told Hinata and Takeo. Hinata got into her family's stance and waited for Takeo to get into his. He took out both his swords and banged them together before going into a stance similar to Naruto's.

"You better watch it Takeo. If you seriously hurt her, I'll kill you." Naruto said to himself as he unintentionally released a small amount of killing intent and waited for the match to start.

* * *

**Whoa, a bit of a cliffhanger huh? =]...**

**Well this is a very good stopping point because it leaves most of you in the edge of your seats... How could you not when the title of the next chapter is...**

**Next Chapter: Takeo shows his true colors!**

******See! Doesn't it make you want to threaten me to hurry up and see what happens? Well, maybe I'll hurry if I get some reviews but either way I'll still up date...** _[**Just not as fast *wink-wink*...]**_

******You know what to do: review and wait or just wait, it's up to you but I'd perfer a review...**

******Goodbye and good luck with whatever!**


	13. Takeo shows his true colors!

**Hello people and maybe pets of all kinds!**

**It is I, Angelito soldado with chapter 13 of Naruto of the Immortal Clan...**

**Now, I know what will happen after this chapter... I might and probably will receive some hate mail and reviews...**

**Yeah, that's right... Takeo's going to do something so dispicable that you'll blame me for it... and I accept this... I need Takeo to do what he's about to do so if your going to get mad, just remember who did what now... And by that I mean Takeo...**

**Heh heh and please don't send me hate mail, I can accept some but not a lot...**

**Again, don't get mad at me, get mad at takeo...**

**Chapter 13: Takeo shows his true colors!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't won Naruto...**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"If you're both ready you may begin." Hayate told Hinata and Takeo. Hinata got into her family's stance and waited for Takeo to get into his. He took out both his swords and banged them together before going into a stance similar to Naruto's._

_"You better watch it Takeo. If you seriously hurt her, I'll kill you." Naruto said to himself as he unintentionally released a small amount of killing intent and waited for the match to start._

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto's grip on the railing tightened and tightened with each passing second. So far, the fight looked even; Hinata was landing a couple of hits while Takeo was leaving small cuts on her. Naruto knew he was holding back, which was a good thing... for Takeo anyways. Naruto tensed up every time Hinata was hit and every time Takeo got a wild look in his eyes. From what Naruto knew about Takeo, things weren't adding up.

Usually, Takeo either would have finished off his opponent by now or have had more fun with them, but he was... stalling? He was stalling for something, for what exactly was something Naruto wished he knew.

Hinata ducked under another swift strike from Takeo and sent an open palm to his left arm, wanting to disable it. Takeo jumped back and tried to cut her arm but she too jumped back. They went into a stare off and once again started fighting. Hinata was able to close a couple of chakra points on Takeo's arms and legs but for some unknown reason, he wouldn't stay down and just kept going. It confused Hinata to no end; if his chakra points were closed then he shouldn't be able to move. She wondered if this was what Naruto tried to warn her about.

Takeo smirked as his plan was put into action. All he had to do was stall the fight long enough for Hinata to tire, and after that, it was game over for her and her precious Naruto. He smirked viciously as Hinata continually closed his chakra points only to have Kyuubi's chakra open them again. He ducked under an open palm aimed for his head and parried another palm aimed for his gut. He flipped over her after she tried to kick his feet from under him.

He threw a kunai to Hinata's leg and it caught some of her pants, cutting a little off the side. She threw a kunai back at him and it cut a small part of his arm. He held it in pain for a second before the cut disappeared. Hinata didn't have much time to think about that as Takeo was right back on her, making her go on the defensive. She parried off Takeo's side arc with her kunai and jumped over him to flip around and kick him behind his head. He took two steps forward before turning back to stab Hinata. Hinata once again parried his swords off and then landed an elbow to his solar plexus.

He had to take a couple of steps back, that last hit took his breath away. Hinata was an incredible fighter, even a little better than Nozomi. He smirked again as he caught his second wind. He jumped forward to slash her in half but she fell to the ground and brought her feet up to send him to the air. After he was in the air for a good while, he came back down to have Hinata send a chakra powered open palm to his stomach.

Takeo let the blood come out of his mouth as he flew back. He got up and wiped the blood out of his lips. He was starting to lose his patience with Hinata. If she kept this up, he might even want to kill her. He took a deep breath and then made some hand signs.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" He yelled as seven other Takeos showed up and surrounded Hinata. She looked around her and smiled, she had trained a bunch of times with Naruto's clones, this probably wasn't any different.

They each came at her, their swords up and ready to slice. She jumped up and dodged an oncoming swipe from one of the clones. She landed on the swords and kicked two Takeos in the face, dispersing them. She got in between two others and ducked when they both tried to cut her and instead, stabbed the other, taking them out as well. She flipeed back and watched at a small crater was where she once stood after one clone tried to cleave her in half.

She took out some kunai and threw them at the remaining three Takeos. One was actually stabbed and dispersed. The other two deflected it but because they were near each other, Hinata was able to hit them at the same side. She suddenly appeared in between both of them and sent open palms at both of the Takeo's stomach. The clone poofed from existence and the original flew back, landing on his back and cursing under his breath.

_'I can't take this anymore! She's kicking my ass and she hadn't even activated her Byakugan yet.'_ Takeo smiled evilly at a sudden thought. Takeo stood straight and started making some long and complicated hand signs. Hinata knew she had seen this jutsu somewhere but she couldn't remember where. All the Jonin and Naruto's eyes widened, they knew what jutsu he was doing.

"Hinata-chan, RUN!" Naruto yelled, confusing some people, the ones who didn't know who he really was under his disguise. Hinata looked up at Naruto and then felt an insane amount of chakra coming from Takeo. She looked at him and saw fire and water swirling around his opened palm which he suddenly closed.

"**Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!**" Hinata's eyes widened as the floating whirlpool of fire and water raced towards her. She jumped over the attack but it changed its course at the last minute. She made a few hand signs before the attach engulfed her entirely. Many Genin looked on in surprise as Hinata was burned to a crisp. Then a small poof and a log was in her place. Takeo look surprised before feeling a palm strike hit him from behind. He fell to his knees and coughed up some blood and looked behind him to see Hinata with her Byakugan flaring.

"I see your taking things seriously." Takeo said casually.

"I see you have too." Hinata retorted. She didn't think Takeo would actually try to kill her. If it wasn't for the replacement jutsu, she probably would've fried or worse. She returned to her family's gentle fist style and waited for Takeo to make his next move.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto nervously watched as both Hinata and Takeo continued their fight. He turned his head to look at other people's reaction.

Tenten seemed passive about the fight, though just a little worried. Ino, Haku, Sakura and Kiba were worried about Hinata. Shikamaru was asleep and Choji... well he was Choji. Naruto got really mad when he saw Neji's expression. Neji looked satisfied with the fight, like Hinata deserved to almost get killed. He gritted his teeth together and tried to restrain himself. He focused back on the match and watched as Takeo seemed to be on the receiving end of Hinata's Gentle fist.

Takeo put some distance between him and Hinata. Hinata really seemed angry about the whole killing thing.

_'Go figure...'_ Takeo thought as he saw Hinata running at him again. He jumped up into the air and applied some of his chakra into his hand and then some of Kyuubi's. Green fire appeared and he threw it at Hinata. She jumped out of the way before getting hit. She rolled and threw a couple of kunai. Takeo deflected them with his swords after unsheathing them and landed just a few feet from Hinata.

He was starting to get tired of fighting her. He hadn't expect her to last this long; she had a lot more stamina then she let on. He had enough of this and made about three shadow clones. He sent one to Hinata and she immediately sent an open palm at his chest. Instead of the usual poof of smoke, the clone actually exploded. Hinata was sent flying into the cement wall, creating a crater.

Naruto's eyes widened. _'He wouldn't...'_

Hinata got out of the crater, breathing heavily and sporting her left arm. She fell to her knees and watched as Takeo sent his other two clones at her. The first clone tried to head butt her but she jumped over him and pushed him to the wall and waited for the explosion but only heard it poof. She was confused by this before the second clone exploded while her back was turned. She once again flew into the concrete wall and created another crater.

She wobbly walked out of it and fell down to her knees, then completely face down. Hayate waited for about ten seconds before deciding the match over. Before he could do that though, Hinata struggled to get up until she was on her feet again. Hayate tried to convince her to try again next year but she didn't listen. She got into her family's stance and waited for Takeo to continue.

"Hmpf, she should've stayed down, she has no idea what she's getting herself into." Neji said quietly, but Naruto heard it.

"What'd you say?" Naruto asked angrily. Neji raised an eyebrow before completely ignoring Naruto. Naruto was about to yell when he heard Takeo speak again.

"Sunshine, just give up, I'm don't want to kill you."

"Yeah... right." She said through her laboured breathing. She spit some blood out of her mouth and Takeo shook his head.

"Ok but don't say I didn't warn you." Takeo made a weird hand sign and Hinata was about to ask him what he was doing when she suddenly felt her legs go numb. She didn't fall but she couldn't move them at all. A second later, her arms and torso went completely numb as well. The only part of her body she could move was her head but not by much.

"What did you do?" She asked. Takeo was making hand signs as he smirked.

"I won. **Lightning style: Lightning Needle Jutsu!**" A thousand needles shot out of Takeo's hands and a couple hit Hinata, two went through her left leg, another two went through her left and right shoulder and one barely missed her heart. After that, Naruto had stepped in with a battle tiger, his armor deflecting the rest of the lightning needles.

After the barrage was over, the battle tiger disappeared and an angry Naruto was glaring at Takeo. Gaara and the rest of the Genin watched in interest. Some random guy just jumped in the middle of the fight to save Hinata. Gaara though, was wondering why Naruto would risk his life to protect someone that was as good as dead. He made a mental note to ask him about that later.

The Hokage and Jonin wondered how someone that young could summon animals, much less a tiger. No one has seen that contract in over four years.

"When did you inject her?" Naruto asked but Takeo just shrugged.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Naruto then turned his back on him to make sure Hinata was ok. He checked her pulse and it was still there though faintly. Naruto started to panic, he didn't know much about medical stuff but he knew enough to realize that if he didn't do something that second, he could lose Hinata forever. He heard Hayate call Takeo the winner but he didn't care. His mind was running through options but he couldn't find a good one. All it led up to was Hinata's death or his.

_**'Hey brat, I got an idea.'**_ Naruto was glad to hear someone had an idea.

_'What is it?'_ He asked.

_**'I know this jutsu that might help your vixen out, but it requires a lot of chakra and chakra control. If you can't handle it, you might die from chakra exhaustion.'**_ Naruto shook his head.

_'I don't care, if it keeps my hime alive, then I'm all for it. What jutsu is it?'_ Kyuubi sent mental images of the hand signs, told him to place his hands over the wounds and to be careful not to over exhaust himself.

He did the hand signs Kyuubi gave him and an orange barrier appeared in his hands. He placed his hands over the wound that barely missed her heart and Naruto saw Hinata's wound start to heal, almost as if it never happened. After that one seemed ok, he went on with the others. Naruto could feel his chakra reserves emptying and he suddenly felt exhausted and just as the darkness was about overcome him he saw red chakra moved around him and felt his reserves refill. The next thing he noticed was the orange barrier suddenly got a darker, more red color, and Hinata's wound healed faster. He was surprised at first but figured it was the demon inside him.

_**'Idiot! I warned you not to over do it.'**_ Naruto ignored Kyuubi for the moment, concentrating on bring Hinata back.

Hinata awoke to see Naruto over her with a red orange barrier over her wounds. Naruto noticed that Hinata woke up and smiled as he finished the jutsu. He had done enough, now it was her turn to finish the healing with some rest.

"How are you holding up Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked softly. Hinata smiled as she weakly searched for Naruto's hand. Naruto caught her hand in his and she gave it a quick squeeze.

"B-Better... now that y-you're here." She answered, letting her eyes close for a while. She snapped them open before once again resisting the urge to close them. Naruto chuckled quietly.

"It's ok my hime, you can go to sleep, everything is fine now." Naruto told her after he kissed the back of her hand. Hinata smiled and thanked him before going to sleep. Naruto weakly picked Hinata up and let the medic nins place her on a stretcher and take her to one of the healing rooms. Naruto then radiated an incredible amount of killing intent, aimed directly at Takeo.

"You bastard..." Naruto said dangerously low. "I warned you... I warned you not to hurt her but you almost killed her. Don't you even feel even a bit remorseful?" Naruto asked but Takeo just smiled and shook his head.

"Nope." He simply said before leaving to go to the stands.

"Serves her right. She knew exactly what she was getting herself into but the fool continued to fight anyways." Naruto heard Neji say. Naruto was starting to lose his patience and had to relieve it somehow.

"I guess that's it for..." Hayate started to say but Naruto interrupted him.

"Wait a minute, let me compete." Naruto told Hayate. Hayate cocked his eyebrow.

_**'Bad Idea kit. You're almost out of chakra and if you keep using mine's, you'll transform.'**_**Kyuubi warned him but Naruto wouldn't have it.**

_**'Don't worry, i know what I'm doing.'**_

"Sorry, but there's not a good reason to let you. I'm not even sure if you're allowed to be here, who are you anyways?" Naruto dropped his genjutsu.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki, I was born in Konoha. I deserve a chance to participate in these exams." He stated. Hayate still looked unbelieving. Suddenly, a white haired man walked into the arena.

"Let the kid fight. Come on, look at him, he's a natural born fighter." Jiraiya said while most Jonin watched in shock. "Besides, the brat was with me, cut him some slack." Hayate looked at the Third Hokage. The Third shrugged and so did Hayate.

"I guess we might as well. Last match:..."

**Naruto Uzumaki V.S Neji Hyuga**

Naruto smirked when he saw Neji's shocked expression.

"Get down here Hyuga." Neji got out of his shock and walked down to the arena. He stood a good ten feet away from Naruto.

"You know, this is really pointless. Destiny has already determined me as the victor. All you're doing is wasting time." He said but Naruto scoffed it off.

"I don't care, let's just fight."

"If the contestants are ready, you may start the match." Naruto didn't hesitate to attack as soon as he was told. He disappeared from sight and reappeared behind the Hyuga prodigy. He reared his fist back before shooting it forward straight for Neji's head. Unfortunately, Neji activated his Byakugan and saw the punch coming so he ducked. He then spun on his heels and tried to close the chakra points in Naruto's heart but Naruto disappeared again and was across the arena.

Neji couldn't believe how fast Naruto was. If he didn't do something soon, he might actually lose. He jumped back as a massive fireball came his way. Naruto came behind Neji but Neji turned around and closed most of the chakra points in his right arm. Naruto felt his arm go numb and was momentarily distracted, giving Neji exatcly what he need.

Everything turned black and white for Neji except for the green seal under him and Naruto.

"Just face it, fate and destiny have shown me the way to defeat you. You're in my field of divinity. **Eight Trigrams: Sixty four Palms!**" Neji's ran the short distance between him and Naruto and started closing a lot of Naruto's chakra points.

"Two palms... four palms... eight palms... sixteen palms... thirty two palms... sixty four palms!" Neji finished his attack and Nartuo fell to the ground with a dull thud. Neji smirked victoriously and stood over Naruto's unmoving form. Before he could make a move, Naruto suddenly exploded, sending Neji through the air and into the ground. He got up and saw a crater where Naruto once laid.

Suddenly, a knee sent Neji into the air. A second kick to Neji's gut sent him higher into the air. One more kick on his chin before Naruto appeared over Neji and axe kicked him over his head and let him fall to the ground at a fast pace. Right before his head hit the ground, a last Naruto kicked Neji in the gut and was sent through the air and into the concrete wall. Neji looked up at Naruto after he fell, he couldn't move, his whole body was in too much pain.

Tenten and Gai were shocked. Neji was a high level Genin and Naruto took him out as if he was still a academy student. Tenten and Gai watched in interest as Naruto walked over to Neji.

"Neji," Naruto said, getting his attention. "If you can remember something from today, remember this: Fate and destiny do not control our lives or tell us how we should live, they just give us the option to follow the path they made for us." Naruto said as medic nins put Neji in a stretcher.

Naruto sighed and was disappointed that Neji hadn't put up much of a fight. The Sixty four trigrams surprised him but it wasn't enough to win. He squinted his eyes as he felt his muscles tense up. He knew he pushed it with that last hit but he really had to relieve some stress and anger.

"Winner of the match: Naruto Uzumaki."

"Whatever." Naruto said before vanishing in a small whirlwind. Hayate looked surprised for a second before shaking it off.

"Can someone tell him who he has to fight in the finals?" Haku raised her hand and Hayate went on to explain who'll fight who after calling the finalist down from the stands.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto felt someone poke him as he stirred. He then felt someone place something cold on his back, making jump off his seat and into the floor. When he looked up, he saw Haku smiling over him.

"Well hello sleepy head." She said. Naruto smiled back and returned to his seat next to Hinata's hospital bed. She was still unconscious two days after the preliminaries. Naruto was starting to worry that Takeo might have done something permanent. Haku would've visited sooner but Hinata wasn't allowed any visitors until today. Naruto was there because every time a doctor was about to come in, he would transform into a nurse or something else like a lamp.

"So, is there a reason you came down here or did you want to say hi to me after six months?" He asked. Haku placed her hands behind her back and swayed her body back and forth.

"Hm... a little of both. It's been a while since we last seen each other and it's really good to see you again Naruto." Haku told him smiling.

"It's nice to see you too Haku. So what's the other reason why you came looking for me?"

"I came here to tell you that you're fighting Takeo in the preliminaries." Naruto frowned at Takeo's name but then smiled. Haku's smile widened as she walked to the window and opened it.

"And just to warn you." She said as she jumped out of the window.

"Warn me? About what?" He wondered but he didn't have to for long.

"NARUTO!" He heard a woman yell. Naruto flinched and prayed that there was another Naruto in the building because the voice sounded angry. Sadly, there wasn't another Naruto because the hospital door to the room he was in sprang open and Kushina was there looking furiously for him. When she spotted him, it only took her a milli-second to be by his side and hug him.

"Naruto, it really is you!" She exclaimed as she hugged Naruto.

"Mom, you'll wake up Hinata-chan. I know you missed me, I missed you too, but this is still a hospital." Naruto said, trying to calm his mother down. He then felt his mother shaking and something wet reach his shoulder. "M-Mom?"

"I was worried. I... I thought you died, Naruto-chan. I... I didn't want to go through it again. I already lost your father... and... I thought I lost you. I wasn't sure what I would've down..."

"It's ok mom. I'm here now, you don't have to do anything but buy me clothes, clean the house and feed me." Naruto said jokingly. He heard his mother laugh and lightly hit him over the head. He laughed too and hugged her tighter.

"Yeah right, you'll clean the house and make food for the both of us." She then glanced at Hinata's sleeping form and smiled. "Or maybe someday, Hinata'll do all that stuff for you, you know, after you two..." Kushina implied.

"M-mom!" Naruto quietly yelled. Kushina laughed again.

"I'm kidding... for now anyways. I'm sure you both have a lot of time to..." She continued and Naruto tensed up a little.

"Mom, I'm serious." He said seriously but couldn't help but smile. He then heard someone giggle and turned around to see Hinata with a hand over her mouth, trying to cover up her giggles.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to break up t-the moment." Naruto felt his mother let him go and stand on the other side of Hinata's bed. He sat down the chair her was sitting on before Haku came in. He immediately reached for Hinata's hand and held it in his own. Kushina smiled at the picture perfect scene in front of her, which oddly enough, gave her an idea.

"How are you feeling Hinata-hime?" Hinata smiled at the randomness Naruto had. Sometimes he would say her name with "-hime" at the end and other times it was with "-chan". She never said it aloud but she loved when he did that, nothing was ever predictable when it came to Naruto.

"Better than before." Her smile disappeared and she looked away from Naruto, confusing him. "I-I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I-I... I must look weak to you. I tried my best but..." She said but Naruto stopped her.

"Hinata-chan, it's ok, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I even had a hard time fighting him." He said. "You even seemed to do better than I did." Hinata looked at him in surprise.

"Y-You've... fought him before?" She asked. Naruto nodded his head and she wasn't sure what to say to that. Luckily, she did have to since Kushina beat her to it.

"What do you mean you've fought him before? And where have you been for the last six months?" She asked and Naruto flinched.

"I've been in Kumo for the last five months. In the last month, I... well was replaced, I guess you could say, with Takeo. I'd really like to tell you everything but I don't want to repeat it over and over again so I'd like to hold a meeting between the Hokage and anyone else who wants to know." He said. Kushina nodded her head and headed for the door.

"Naruto-kun..." Naruto smiled as he looked at her.

"Hmm?" He asked before he felt her bring his mask down and kiss him. He was surprised for a while before smiling happily and kissing her back. Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw two flashes go out. It interrupted their kiss and when they turned, they saw Kushina with a camera while she smiled victoriously.

"I finally see your face and got two cute pictures of you two! Bye!" She said before she disappeared. Naruto sighed and then looked at Hinata. She was confused but Naruto smiled as he resumed the kiss they were interrupted from.

[*.*.*.*]

Sasuke woke up as he felt an incredible amount of chakra radiating from the hospital. He feelt like he had sensed this chakra before but couldn't remember where. However, there was someone in the hospital whose chakra actually exceeded anyone he's ever felt, even Zabuza's. This intrigued him and wondered who it was. However, it also angered him that someone was stronger than him.

The door to his room opened and he saw Sakura with Ino and Haku walk into the room. Sakura and Ino both had flowers with them while Haku looked uncomfortable.

"Hey Sasuke-kun, how you feeling?" Sakura asked. Sasuke's answer was a scoff. She placed her flowers on the desk next to his bed. Ino followed shortly after and smiled.

"I'm glad to see you're ok." Haku said solemnly. Sasuke arched his eyebrow. He wondered what was up with the cold treatment he was getting from Haku. He didn't say anything about it since he was still tired from his match and of the exams.

"Oh, Sasuke, we came here to tell you that you're fighting that Gaara guy."

"Thanks." He said passively.

"Oh and that Naruto came back and is in the exams too." Haku said. Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked incredulous at Haku. He then realized that the huge chakra was Naruto's.

_'How much stronger is he?'_ Sasuke thought before feeling another familiar chakra presence. His eyes widened when he realized who's it was.

"Yeah but so what? It's not like he could win the thing anyways. He's just going to lose to that weird Kumo guy... what's his name... Takeo I think." Ino said. Sasuke jumped out of his bed and left his room, leaving three kunoichi in confusion. Sasuke ran all the way to the roof of the hospital to see someone standing over the ledge.

"It's been a while... little brother." Itachi said as he turned around and Sasuke saw his sharingan activated. Sasuke activated his and stared at his brother.

"So I finally get a chance to defeat you brother. I finally get the chance to avenge our clan for what you've done." Sasuke said. Itachi closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm sorry Sasuke but I have no time to play with you now. Besides," Itachi opened his eyes and his three tomoes were spinning. "you're in no condition to fight."

Sasuke started feeling a bit light headed. His eyes closed for a while before he noticed Itachi disappear and he was left alone on the rooftop. He growled and hated himself for letting himself get caught in another genjutsu. He cursed under his breath and decided to rest up for the finals that he had a month to prepare for. On his way back to his room, he stopped at a door. In it, he felt a huge amount of chakra though a second later, it disappeared. He looked at the file that was hung next to the room and saw that it belonged to his teammate.

_'That couldn't be Hinata...'_ Sasuke thought as he knocked on her door. He heard someone giggle, which he guessed was Hinata, and someone laugh, which confused him.

"C-Come in." He heard Hinata say. He opened the door and was surprised to see Naruto lying next to Hinata. Hinata hugged Naruto while her head rested on his chest. Naruto had his arms wrapped around her waist as he smiled.

"Sup Sasuke, how you been?" Naruto said, mask covering his bottom half of his face and eye smiling while Hinata waved. Sasuke couldn't help but smile. He would never admit it but without Naruto, everything seemed dull and boring. He wouldn't go so far as to think he missed him, but he was content on the fact that he was back home.

"Hey." Sasuke said. "Just wanted to see if the rumours of you returning were true. And to make sure that Hinata was ok. I heard you were badly beaten" Sasuke said, trying to sound sincere. He felt Naruto's killing intent rise and recede. He arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks for worrying Sasuke." Sasuke nodded his head and left the room.

"Now, where were we?" Naruto said as he took his mask off and kissed Hinata. When they parted, a thought suddenly came up in his mind.

"Oh, I just remembered, I got something for you but I got to pick it up." Naruto said but then sighed. "But I don't want to leave you." He said and Hinata giggled.

"It's ok Naruto-kun..." Naruto didn't let her finish as he summoned a clone to go get him the present. The clone opened the window and jumped out. Naruto then sighed contently as he let his head rest on top of Hinata's. She smiled as she tightly hugged Naruto. Soon enough, both fell asleep again and each had a smile on their face.

It was long before Naruto felt a familiar presence in his room. He slowly opened one eye and saw Itachi waiting patiently for him to wake up. He yawned and then completely opened his eyes.

"Itachi-sensei, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here for another week." Naruto said groggily.

"I just came here to tell you that I won't be able to train you for the next couple of weeks. Akatsuki has me going after some tailed beast in Kumo. Normally, I wouldn't be sent but something has happened that needs me to go with my partner, Kisame. So this might be the last time I train you for a while so let's go." Itachi said heading for the window.

"Wait." Naruto said, stopping Itachi. "Right now? But... but I can't leave Hinata-chan here, it wouldn't feel right." Naruto told him.

"Well it's now or never." Itachi told him. "I'll be at the training spot where we first trained. I'll only wait for half an hour before I decide to head back. Choose wisely Naruto." Itachi said before disappearing. Naruto sighed as he thought over his situation. He really needed to train for the exams... but he didn't want to leave Hinata's side. After deciding to leave a clone with Hinata, he jumped out the window to follow Itachi.

Naruto missed the other chakra signature that was waiting outside Hinata's window. The person smirked and jumped into the room, quickly taking the shadow clone out and chuckling. The chuckling woke Hinata up and she was surprised to see Takeo standing across from her and Naruto not by her side.

"T-Takeo, what...?" She didn't get to finish her sentence because Takeo had one of his swords pointing at her throat and another at her heart. He smiled sinisterly as he let the tip of his sword touch Hinata's skin. Before she could even think, Takeo smashed his lips on top of hers.

Hinata's eyes widened and she tried to push him off her but her arms suddenly felt heavy again. When he stopped kissing her, he started tracing her body with the tip of one sword while the other was still pointed at her neck. The other sword skimmed through her stomach and was now rubbing against her thigh. Hinata felt tears stain her eyes.

"P-Please... d-don't..." Hinata said tearfully. Takeo smirked smugly and tilted his head.

"Don't what, Sunshine?" Takeo said he ripped part of Hinata's pants. She let out a pained gasped and Takeo was enjoying the whole thing. Before he knew what happened, someone punched him and sent him to the other side of the room. When he looked up, he saw an angry looking Naruto.

"N-Naruto...kun..." Hinata said. Naruto turned around to look at her but before he could say anything, two swords pierced his heart. Hinata screamed as more tears fell from her eyes. Naruto fell back off the swords, eyes widened in surprise before he poofed and a small package fell to the floor. Both Takeo and Hinata were surprised but Takeo recovered first.

"Well, that was interesting. I was kind of hoping that was the real Naruto. Oh well..." Takeo said as he slowly walked to Hinata's bed. When he got there, he cut more of Hinata's clothes, leaving her in some of her pants and a little less than half of how her shirt first was. She had to cover herself up; luckily she was still able to do this. Takeo eyed Hinata and she saw the lust in his eyes.

"S-Stay... STAY AWAY YOU MONSTER!" Hinata yelled. It surprised Takeo but it didn't stop him. It actually gave him an idea.

"Hey now Sunshine, why are you calling me a monster when Naruto is the real monster." He said but Hinata shook her head. "Don't believe me huh? Well let me ask you this; what do you think happened to the Kyuubi who attacked all those years ago?"

"H-He was killed... by the Yondaime..." Hinata answered, a little confused to why he would ask that.

"Wrong. In fact, Kyuubi couldn't have been killed so, they settled on sealing it... inside a new-born baby. This baby, Sunshine, was born on October the tenth, twelve years ago..." Takeo told her slowly. And slowly, it started to register in Hinata's head.

"You... You're lying." Hinata said unbelieving.

"I'm not lying. Haven't you noticed how he has an unprecedented amount of chakra and stamina, or the whisker marks on his face? How about whenever he gets angry, his eyes turn red and his pupils are slits? Do you think I'm lying now?" Takeo said, leaving a speechless Hinata thinking about what he said.

"I though so." Before he could do or say anything else, a bunch of sand rushed at him and he jumped back right before the sand enveloped him. The sand then moved to Hinata's side and seemed to protect her. Takeo was shocked and looked to his left to see Gaara passively looking at him.

"Pathetic, trying to take advantage of an injured victim. I should kill you right now." Gaara said. Takeo took in what he said and smirked.

"Gaara of the Desert, what brings you to this room?" Takeo asked, genuinely curious though actually irritated. Gaara looked at Hinata before he answered.

"I was looking for Naruto and since I saw how important she seemed to be, I figured he'd be here. Then I heard a scream come from this room. Unfortunately, I ran into a weasel instead of a fox" He said as Hinata looked at Gaara.

"G-Gaara...?" Gaara looked at her but then his sand rose up and protected him from Takeo's sneak attack.

"Very good Gaara but why don't you kill me now? What's stopping you from killing me?" Takeo asked. Gaara didn't reply immediately, he just made his sand pushed him back and sent two sand shuriken at him. Takeo sliced both shuriken in half and smirked again. Gaara suddenly felt someone outside, watching them but more so on Hinata and he mentally smirked.

"Nothing's stopping me; I'm just not the one who's going to end your pitiful existence." Gaara answered.

"Oh yeah then who?" Takeo asked again but no one was able to answer him because a lightning fast, chakra powered punch hit him directly on his left cheek. He sped through the air and went through the hospital wall, then another and another until he stopped on the fourth wall. He unsteadily got up with the help of a nearby desk and looked through the walls he went through with widened eyes.

The killing intent in the hospital rose to new levels as green fire lit Naruto's hands. Hinata saw Naruto's eyes glow red with slit pupils. Through his mask, Hinata could see Naruto grow fangs and saw his nails sharpen.

"I DON'T CARE IF OUR FIGHT'S IN A MONTH. I"M GOING TO KILL YOU RIGHT WHERE YOU STAND!" Naruto yelled as he held his right fist back and ran at Takeo.

* * *

**Heh heh, I'm so evil, Cliffhanger!**

**Again, don't be mad at me, Takeo was the one who... well you already read it so I don't have to restate it... And I'd also like to apologize for the short fight between Neji and Naruto... I really didn't know how to prolong it so it ended up like this... sorry but there will be a rematch... maybe...**

**Anyways, if you're angry at Takeo_ [and not at me...]_ then how about a few suggestions on how he should die or be punished? All ideas are welcomed!**

**I personally want to have him killed already, much like Orochimaru, but I can't, to both of them... They're both vital to this story...**

**Oh yeah, please check out my other stories, I'd really appreciated it...**

**Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought about this chapter or just to chat... Either is good!**

**Review and I promise to make Takeo's death very painful and if not... well, we'll see how he get's off the hook heh heh...**

**Next Chapter: Explainations and Training Plans!**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	14. Explainations and Training Plans!

**Hello! What's up people? Ready for chapter 14!**

**I know I am!**

**Here it is! Enjoy...**

**Chapter 14: Explainations and Training Plans!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_The killing intent in the hospital rose to new levels as green fire lit Naruto's hands. Hinata saw Naruto's eyes glow red with slit pupils. Through his mask, Hinata could see Naruto grow fangs and saw his nails sharpen._

_"I DON'T CARE IF OUR FIGHT'S IN A MONTH. I"M GOING TO KILL YOU RIGHT WHERE YOU STAND!" Naruto yelled as he held his right fist back and ran at Takeo._

[*.*.*.*]

Everyone in the hospital shook in fear as the very foundation of the hospital shook to its core. Killing intent filled the air and everyone could sense it. Naruto flung his arm forward, his fox fire still active and watched as Takeo just stared back, helplessly still. Naruto's eyes screamed for Takeo's blood and in a couple of seconds, it could happen. Could being the operative word.

At the last second, a hand shot forward and stopped Naruto's hand as it hovered over the area where Takeo's heart should be. Naruto sneered as Kakashi moved Naruto's hand away from Takeo.

"That's enough Naruto. We don't want to start a war against Kumo." Naruto gave Kakashi a cold stare.

"I know that, but I still want to kill him." Naruto and Kakashi just stared each other down until Naruto sighed and cancelled his fox fire. Kakashi then let him go and sighed as well. He turned and was about to question Takeo but he noticed that he got away.

"This could be a problem." Kakashi said as Naruto took off his long cloak. Under his cloak, he was wearing a sleeveless black muscle shirt and black cargo pants. "Naruto, you should really have more self-control. You probably could've destroyed the hospital with your killing intent alone." Kakashi scolded him. Naruto ignored him and covered Hinata with his cloak. She was still too shocked to respond to the waking world.

"I don't care, he tried to... do something inappropriate to my hime and that is where I draw the line. He better hope I don't see him before the finals." Naruto turned around and looked at his sensei. "Speaking of which, what are you going to teach me for the finals?" He asked Kakashi. Kakashi shook his head and had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Naruto, I don't know how to tell you this but..."

"You're not going to train me." Naruto finished for him. Kakashi nodded and the room suddenly got colder. "So what about Hinata-chan, are you just going to abandon her too?" Naruto questioned angrily. Kakashi tried to calm him down a bit but his last question took him off guard.

"But she didn't make it to the finals." Kakashi said, not very smart on his part. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth and fist.

"So what if she didn't make it to the finals? You think that excuses you from teaching her anything? You are our sensei, it's your responsibility to teach us new things, regardless if we did or did not make it to the finals. So what are you going to do with your new found time?" Naruto asked, not even trying to sound civil. Gaara could sense the betrayal Naruto felt and wondered why he felt so deeply about it. People were bound to betray you, sooner or later.

"I'll be training Sasuke for his match against Gaara. You've seen what he did to Lee. Sasuke's going to need my help if he wants to win. We have to make sure he wins." Kakashi said in his defence. Gaara shook his head as Kakashi once again said the wrong thing to the wrong person.

"We... or just you Kakashi because I'm really ok with Sasuke just surviving. He doesn't have to win, just survive." Naruto said with venom. Kakashi flinched under the malice in his voice and was surprised with the lack of suffix.

"Don't be like that Naruto, I got you a replacement so you'll get the proper training for the finals."

"But I'm betting that you didn't get one for Hinata." Naruto asked, earning no answer from Kakashi. "That's what I thought. You know what; screw you and your replacement, even though any replacement who arrives on time would already be a better sensei then you..."

"Naruto, I'm warning you." Kakashi interrupted him but this only fuelled his anger and his desire to argue.

"You're warning me? YOU are warning ME? So do you suddenly care about me or are you warning me to stop because I hurt your pride?" Kakashi could feel Kyuubi's chakra escaping from Naruto but it suddenly disappeared. "You know what? I don't need you or your replacement. I did well the last six months without you and I could still do better without you." Naruto walked over to Hinata and picked her up into his arms.

"I won't let anything harm you anymore, I promise." He whispered to her as he hugged her tightly, holding her as if she'd disappear if he let go. He looked Kakashi one more time before facing the window.

"Some sensei you turned out to be. Come on Gaara, a promise is a promise." Gaara nodded his head and the three of them disappeared as Kakashi stood unmoving.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto, Gaara and Hinata, who was still in Naruto's arms, suddenly appeared on top of the Hokage Monument. Naruto looked down at Hinata and saw that she was thinking about something. It was odd for him to see her so quiet. At least this quiet, she would usually say something but she hasn't said a word. He then looked back up at Gaara as he sat down on the Fourth's head. The sun was barely setting and a summer breeze refreshed Naruto.

"Gaara, do you mind if I have some alone time with Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked him. Gaara contemplated this and nodded.

"I'll be back in ten minutes. That's as much patience as I have."

"That's fine." Naruto said and Gaara shushined out of the area. Naruto sighed and shook Hinata. "Hinata-chan?" This seemed to bring Hinata out of her thoughts and she looked at Naruto.

"Y-Yes?"

"Are you... ok?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah." She seemed unsure as she answered him. This worried Naruto.

"Hinata-chan, what happened while I was gone?" Hinata looked away and shut her eyes, as if trying to wish the world away.

"Takeo, he told me s-something... something a-about you..." She said quietly.

"About me? What did he say?" Naruto questioned.

"He told me that... you had the Kyuubi sealed in you." She answered, causing Naruto's eyes to widen and his mouth to drop open. "I-Is it true?" Naruto looked at her and then sighed. Before he could reply, Kyuubi asked him something.

_**'Are you sure about this? Do you think it's a smart idea to tell her?'**_

_'It's not like I can avoid it now that the teme told her. Besides... she needs to know what she's getting herself into.'_Naruto answered solemnly.

_**'What if she can't accept the idea and leaves you?'**_ That thought never entered Naruto's mind and now that it has, it pained him to think about it.

_'Then... I guess I'll have to let her go. If she decides that she doesn't love me because of you in me... then I won't stop her.'_After Kyuubi didn't say anymore, Naruto prepared himself for the worse as he spoke again.

"Yes, it's true. Twelve years ago, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi in me." Hinata's eyes widened.

"B-But why?" She continued to ask.

"I'm not sure why but I was chosen to carry the burden of having a tailed beast in me. I accepted this."

"So this is why you are hated in the village." Hinata said more to herself but Naruto heard her.

"Yeah, so do you... hate me too?" Naruto asked, almost too afraid to ask. It didn't take a second for Hinata to wrap her arms around his waist and bury her face on his chest.

"O-Of course not!" She said loudly, surprising Naruto. "Naruto-kun, I don't care of you hold a demon in you or even an angel. You are still you, no matter what anyone thinks. You are the one who always saves me, the one who's always there for me, the one..." Hinata lifted her head off his chest to look at him in the eyes. "The one I fell in love with."

Naruto had a hard time believing what he just heard. She had accepted Kyuubi and still loved him. He didn't think he could get any happier than this. Hinata slowly pulled his mask down and softly placed a kiss on his lips. Naruto kissed her back, just as softly. He could feel Hinata smile and couldn't help the one that came to his lips. It may have been a soft kiss but it didn't matter because both felt the electricity they always felt when they kissed.

When they parted, Naruto pulled his mask back on and a second later, Gaara appeared with his arms over his chest.

"Right on time Gaara!" Naruto said cheerfully. Gaara cocked his eyebrow and wondered what had gotten in Naruto. He guessed the girl had something to do with it. Then he remembered what he wanted to ask him.

"Naruto Uzumaki, why did you save that girl during the preliminaries?" Gaara asked, confusing Naruto and Hinata.

"Why, because she means the world to me." He said, his grip on Hinata tightening. Hinata could feel the love and certainty in his voice, and felt safe and secure in his arms.

"But why? Everyone is bound to betray one another. You should only love yourself because you can only count on yourself." Gaara said. Naruto stood up and helped Hinata up as well. Hinata though, spoke up before Gaara or Naruto did.

"That's what I thought too." She said, surprising Naruto. "After my mother died, my father became cold and distant and only cared about the success of his children. After I failed to reach his expectations, he decided to give up on me and train Hanabi, my younger sister." Naruto lowered his head until his lips were near her ears.

_"You never told me this."_ Naruto whispered.

_"I don't really like to talk about it. I'm sorry I haven't"_ She whispered back.

"My father then got me a trainer named Kurenai Yuhi to train me. He decided that since I couldn't be a good Hyuga, then I might as well contribute to the village by becoming a ninja. The one that was supposed to love me and take care of me left me in the care of another. I wondered how I could trust another person again." Hinata continued as a few tears reached her eyes. Both Naruto and Gaara were intrigued by Hinata's story.

"That's when I started to think less and less of myself and began to berate myself for every little mistake I made. I would've become an empty shell with no self-esteem, no love..." She then grabbed Naruto's hand and gave it a small squeeze, Naruto squeezing it back."…if it wasn't for Naruto-kun. I didn't think anyone would love me, much less like me if Naruto-kun hadn't showed up in my life. I owe him my life and the best I can give him is my love and my trust. I just hope that is enough."

Naruto pulled Hinata into a hug.

"That's more than enough. In fact, it's more than I could even ask for." He said, closing his eyes in content. Gaara the interaction with a calculating eye; neither seemed to be lying or exaggerating. They both seemed to need each other as much as they needed air, maybe even more.

"The point is Gaara; there's always someone out there to love, to trust. It just might be harder for some than for most." Naruto told him.

"But I am a jinchuuriki, who would love a demon container?" He said in his monotone voice, though Naruto could sense the sadness in it.

"I am a jinchuuriki and I have someone who loves me. Maybe you just have to look hard for that precious person." Naruto assured him. Gaara looked at Naruto in the eye and for a split second, Naruto thought he saw some hope shine in Gaara's eyes. It disappeared when he and Naruto felt someone coming in their direction.

"Ero-sennin, come out already, I know it's you hiding in the trees." Jiraiya then comes out from the forest behind Naruto and his vein pops out.

"I told you not to call me that!" Jiraiya yelled.

"And I told you not until you give up that habit of yours." Naruto retorted calmly. Jiraiya was about to say something else but noticed a barely clothed Hinata in Naruto's arms.

"So, what are you doing with a cloak only wearing girl in your arms Naruto?" Jiraiya asked while he wiggled his eyebrow. Naruto blushed and looked down at Hinata and remembered that she was only wearing his cloak. Hinata noticed this too and her blush was ten times worse than Naruto's. Soon enough, she fainted in his arms.

"Argh! See what you did ero-sennin!" Naruto yelled.

"I said not to call me that!" Jiraiya said, slamming his forehead onto Naruto's. Naruto pushed back and yelled:

"And I said HELL NO!" They continued to head butt each other, electricity sparking between their eyes. Naruto then felt Hinata stir and he spun on his heels, moving out of the way and letting Jiraiya hit the stone ground head first. Jiraiya then held his head in pain.

"Hinata-hime." Naruto said and Hinata gently opened her eyes. She tried to stand but her legs still felt a little faint.

"I-I'm ok, Naruto-kun." She said with a blush. She was still aware that she was still barely dressed but was too tired from everything that had happened.

"So you're Hinata, Naruto wouldn't shut up about you." Jiraiya said, getting up from the floor.

"H-He's talked about me?" Hinata asked.

"Talked? He wouldn't shut up about you. It was always Hinata's pretty and this or Hinata's brave and that... This kid would even say you're name in his sleep." A second Naruto appeared behind Jiraiya and socked him in the head. A large bump appeared where Naruto hit him and Jiraiya turned around and hit the clone in his face, making him poof.

Hinata giggled at this and couldn't help but give Naruto a kiss on his cheek. She saw his shocked expression and laughed again.

"You're very sweet Naruto-kun." She said and he just chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, there's a reason why I called you here ero-sennin, and it was not to harass me or Hinata-hime. I need you to talk a look at Gaara's seal." Naruto said, pointing his head towards Gaara. Gaara had remained quiet the whole time and could say that the moment between Naruto and Jiraiya was entertaining.

"Ah, the jinchuuriki for Suna. What's wrong with it?" Jiraiya asked.

"His seal is not complete. Apparently, they seal him while he was still in his mother's womb so they didn't have much to work with. From what he's told me, Shukaku is always talking to him and it's driving him insane. And from what I can see, it doesn't let him sleep."

"If I sleep, Shukaku would destroy my personality and take over." Gaara stated. Jiraiya eyed Gaara and told him to show him his seal. Gaara lifted his sleeve and showed the seal that was over his right shoulder. Jiraiya studied his shoulder and made some hand signs. When he finished, he placed his middle and index finger against Gaara's seal and Gaara's seal started to change.

Gaara cringed in pain until the seal stopped moving and remained still. Gaara eyed his new seal and looked up confusingly at Jiraiya.

"I'm not entirely sure if I stopped Shukaku's voices but I'm positive that you are able to sleep again. This is the best I can do so if something bad happens, I guess I'll be the one to blame." He told Gaara. Gaara nodded his head and turned around.

"Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have much to think about." Gaara said vaguely and Naruto wondered what he had to think about. Naruto didn't have much time to think about that as Itachi appeared in the area.

"I-Itachi-sensei?" Naruto asked, confusing both himself and Hinata.

"I-Itachi? As in Itachi Uchiha who murdered h-his clan?" Hinata asked, clearly afraid. Naruto cursed under his breath and wished Itachi hadn't come.

"Don't worry Hinata-hime, he's a good guy, I promise. It's a very complicated and long story. So Itachi-sensei, I thought you had to leave to do your mission?" Naruto asked. Hinata relaxed a little but was still on guard.

"I did and I am. I just thought that since you have a month to train, I might as well train you." He said in his monotone voice.

_'What's up with people and their monotone voice?'_Naruto thought.

"That sounds great and all..." Naruto wrapped both his arms around Hinata's waist. "But I'm not leaving... Not without Hinata-chan." Hinata looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"A-Are you sure? I'll probably just hold you back..." Naruto placed a finger on Hinata's lips.

"No you wouldn't, trust me." Naruto said.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Itachi told them.

"Why not?" Naruto asked a little angry.

"Because, it'll be quite dangerous and she'll probably be safer if she stays here." Itachi explained.

"That's what I thought too but today pretty much proved to me that it's never safe. I'd feel better if I knew that I was close to her." Naruto told Itachi, his voice not leaving any room for argument. Itachi closed his eyes and then opened them.

"I'll think about it. For now, I'll go back and see how far Kisame has gone." Itachi dispersed himself and Naruto sighed. Jiraiya looked at Naruto and then at Hinata. He looked back and saw that the sun was now gone.

"You know kid, maybe we should go back to the hospital. They're probably looking for her right now." Jiraiya said. Naruto looked at Hinata and then at Jiraiya.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Then the three of them disappeared, the area they were in became quiet.

[*.*.*.*]

Gaara had been walking all over Konoha, thinking about the part he was going to play in the whole invasion. He stopped on top of a place Konoha called Kikyo's castle. It was an odd name to him, but he couldn't really say anything about it. He was starting to think of telling Naruto of his father's idea of invading and destroying Konoha. Naruto seemed very genuine and could be a very powerful ally.

In the coldness of the night, sand erupted from Gaara's gourd and attacked a pillar behind him. A blur jumped out from behind the pillar before it could be destroyed. Gaara turned around and Dosu was standing across from him, seeming to be ready to fight.

"I have no business with you; now leave before I make your blood fall on my sand." Gaara warned but Dosu didn't care.

"So you're the major piece in Orochimaru-sama's plan huh? You don't look so tough to me." Dosu said as he ran at Gaara while cocking his fist back.

"Looks can be deceiving." That was all Gaara said as sand stopped Dosu in his tracks and completely enveloped him. Dosu's only visible eye widened as panic started to set in.

"N-No, don't kill me... I-I can help you become stronger." Dosu bargained, but Gaara would hear nothing of it.

"I warned you already to leave me alone and you refused. This is what happens when you get overconfident in your abilities." Gaara held his hand out, his palm open and pointing at Dosu. His hand then snapped shut as his sand obeyed.

"**Sand Coffin**." The sand then packed together and squeezed the life out of Dosu until he exploded in a bloody scene of blood and organs.

Gaara cherished the feel of Dosu's blood on his sand. Now that his existence was proven once again, he suddenly felt calm and excited at the same time. Gaara heard Shukaku's voice scream for more but it was quiet and faint. Gaara smiled at this revelation and continued his walk around Konoha. When he returned to the hotel he and his siblings were sleeping in, he saw Kankuro sleeping noisily and Temari reading some book.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Gaara asked, scaring Temari out of her skin.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Well I found this book and..." She started but stopped. "Never mind, it's not important. I guess I'll go to sleep now." She closed her book and gently placed it on the table she was sitting near. She stood up and walked over to her bed and lay down. She placed the covers over her and before she turned around, she looked at Gaara.

"Goodnight..." She said, Gaara nodded and she turned around. "Little brother..." She said quietly. Gaara however heard her, and felt an unknown feeling in his stomach. He then looked at the book his sister was just reading. The front cover had a picture of a girl sitting down on the ground with her back against a wooden fence and a younger looking boy sleeping next to her. He skimmed through the book and saw that there were a couple of more pictures with both boy and girl.

"A love story?" Gaara thought aloud. Temari stirred in her sleep so Gaara left the room and sat on the balcony right outside their room. He turned on the light outside and read the back of the book that had a summary of the book. It read:

_Abandoned at the age of sixteen and twelve, Karin and Ichigo struggle to survive in a world where money and power are everything when they have none._

_Karin, the fifteen year old works two jobs while Ichigo remains passive to the world. Karin was getting worried about her little brother. He used to be caring and happy but ever since their parents abandoned them three years ago, he became cold and uncaring. She tried everything in her power to help him out but he refuses to take it._

_Will she give up and let him stay passive or will she have to risk everything just so she could have her little brother back?_

The book suddenly sounded interesting to Gaara and he opened to the first page and started reading. After the first page, Gaara couldn't put the book down. He read the book until he noticed the sun coming up. He looked back at the book and continued reading the book. He was more than half way through with the book when he heard Kankuro yawning and Temari getting up to use the bathroom.

Gaara returned into the room and placed the book back where he found it. Something then clicked in his head and he looked back at the book.

_'Why would Temari read this book?'_ He thought as many other thoughts popped in his head.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto squinted his eye as the sun's light shined down on him and Hinata. He looked down at the short-haired ninja and smiled when he saw her peaceful face. Some of her black hair was in her face so he gently swiped the loose tendrils back in behind her ear. He then saw a flash go off and looked up. He saw his mom holding the same camera from the day before and smiling victoriously.

Kushina smiled as she got another picture of "Konoha's cutest couple", as she liked to put it. She put her camera away and became serious.

"Come on Naruto, the meeting is in five minutes." She said, and Naruto also got serious. He nodded his head and gently shook Hinata awake.

"Wake up Hinata-chan, we need to get ready." He whispered in her ear. "

"Five more minutes..." She said and Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"But five minutes is all we have." He told her and she turned her head in the other direction, trying to go back to sleep. Naruto then heard a muffled 'Too bad' and laughed again. "Hinata-chan, come on, wake up." This time she shook her head and Naruto sighed. "Ok but don't say I didn't warn you."

Hinata was about to ask what he meant but Naruto started to tickle her. She laughed loudly as she tried to move away from Naruto but every time she moved, Naruto moved closer. Hinata had moved too close to the edge that she almost fell over. Naruto caught her but her instincts made her hold on to Naruto as well, making them both fall to the floor.

Lucky for Hinata, Naruto had moved fast enough to that she fell over him, giving her a softer landing than Naruto. They were both still under the covers and were now an inch apart from each other. They both stared at each other and smiled simultaneously. Another flash went off and once again Kushina looked victorious while Naruto's patience was starting to disappear.

"Give us a minute mom." Kushina nodded and left the room.

"If you'll need me, I'll be outside." Naruto nodded and stood up while making Hinata stand as well. She blushed when she felt a sudden breeze. She grabbed the covers that was on the floor and wrapped it around herself. This sudden action confused Naruto until he remembered why she would do that.

"Um... W-What am I going to get changed into?" Hinata asked and then Naruto stretched his hand out and grabbed a bag that was thrown in Hinata's direction. He turned around and saw Kushina holding the door while Hiashi was standing next to her. Hiashi looked very passive but Naruto felt some hostility from him and he sweat dropped and smiled.

"Heh, I know what this looks like but let me explain." Naruto said but Hiashi just cocked his eyebrow. Kushina then walked over to Hinata and Naruto and started pushing Naruto out of the room. "W-What are you doing mom?"

"Hinata needs to change and she can't do that if you're in the room..." Kushina then stopped pushing him and gave him a sly smile. "Unless, you know, it's ok with both of you." She said while pointing at both of them. Hinata brought her covers over her mouth and shook her head while Naruto also shook his head.

"I thought so." She said while she once again shoved Naruto out of the room. Hiashi stood at the door thinking about what just happened. Kushina then shoved him out of the way.

"I know you're her father but a girl needs her privacy, you know." She told him as she looked back at Hinata and winked. Hinata giggled and mouthed a thank you before Kushina closed the door. After she was sure no one was looking, Hinata started to strip down.

Outside of her room, Hiashi was looking at Kushina in interest. He had heard of her and didn't necessarily think she was Naruto's mother.

"So you're Naruto's mother?" He asked her and she nodded while hugging her son around his neck.

"Yup, this little knucklehead is mine." She said proudly, ignoring Naruto's 'Hey!'. Hiashi nodded and sat down as he waited for his daughter to come out.

* * *

**Yeah I know it's a shorter chapter than usual.. so sue me... I want to find something out so this chapters are going to be shorter than usual... Let's see how it turns out...**

**Yeah, still open to suggestions about Takeo's death.. But there's also the thing about Hinata...**

**Does any one care if she goes to train with Naruto and Itachi or stay in Konoha where it's "safer" as Itachi put it...**

**Next Chapter: He's a traitor?**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	15. He's a traitor?

**Chapter 15, I feel so proud! 13,000+ hits so far!  
**

**It's been a while since I started this story and it's feels good to say that I made this story...**

**Anyways, in all seriousness, please review, it makes me feel appreciated... Also, I know there a lot of Naruhina fans [like me] and there are still more who either don't like it or don't really mind it... For a while I thought I was starting to get tired of the same old Naruhina... That's when I read a small Kibahina and I couldn't even finish it...**

**No offense to those who like that pairing but I really couldn't enjoy reading it... That's when I figured out that I am 100% a Naruhina fan! I mean, the small Kibahina I read was well written and cool, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't really like the idea of Hinata with anyone who isn't Naruto... Makes me feel weird...**

**Please don't send hate mail just cause you took offense to what I've written, I just felt like I should share this... I am a Naruhina fan now and that'll never change which is AWESOME!**

**So, enjoy and don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile!**

**Chapter 15: He's a traitor?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"I know you're her father but a girl needs her privacy, you know." She told him as she looked back at Hinata and winked. Hinata giggled and mouthed a thank you before Kushina closed the door. After she was sure no one was looking, Hinata started to strip down._

_Outside of her room, Hiashi was looking at Kushina in interest. He had heard of her and didn't necessarily think she was Naruto's mother._

_"So you're Naruto's mother?" He asked her and she nodded while hugging her son around his neck._

_"Yup, this little knucklehead is mine." She said proudly, ignoring Naruto's 'Hey!' Hiashi nodded and sat down as he waited for his daughter to come out._

[*.*.*.*]

Gaara seemed to be sleeping because his breathing was calm and his eyes were shut. Either he was sleeping or meditating, but Temari wasn't so sure. Usually, if he slept, Shukaku would take over and destroy everything in sight and whatever was in his reach. But here he was, sleeping or meditating and Shukaku was nowhere to be seen or heard.

Temari looked at her brother in wonder, interested in how he was able to stay so relaxed with the one tailed demon in him. She hasn't seen him this calm since... Temari shrugged, it wasn't of importance if there was ever a last time only that it was happening. She sat near her younger brother and took out the book she has been reading ever since she came to Konoha. She had found it lying under the bed she was sleeping on and was about to throw it out but the cover page caught her interest.

Whenever she wasn't training at the usual training spot she went to, she would relax and read the book. Ever since she found the book, Gaara had seemed to take a special interest to the book as well. He might not think anyone noticed, but she has.

As a ninja, she had a very good memory and an eye for detail. Whenever she would put the book down to sleep at night, in the mornings, the book would always be in the same area, but not exactly how she left it. She knew Kankuro would never even think about picking the book up since he's always checking on his puppets. She'd seen Baki pick the book up once, but had immediately put it down and muttered something about worthless books.

She then came to two conclusions; she was either going insane or Gaara was the one reading the book. Before any more thoughts could be thought, Gaara snapped his eyes opened and stood.

"Sleep well?" She asked. It was funny how she had woken up that morning and was surprised to see Gaara sleeping. Everyone freaked out at first but if Shukaku hadn't taken over, everything was alright. Gaara though, didn't reply, he just walked out of the room and into the mini-kitchen the hotel in Konoha had. Normally, that would be it, no more talking, no more fear, but because of the book, Temari felt like she at least had to continue talking to him, try to at least make a connection with him.

She stood up and followed him into the kitchen, coming in to see Gaara looking around the refrigerator. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Gaara restrained his sand from attacking Temari's hand. Temari noticed this but didn't flinch. Gaara looked back at her and she gave him a warm smile.

"How about I make you breakfast this morning little brother?" She asked him. Gaara seemed to think about this before shrugging his shoulders and walking out of the kitchen. Temari sighed and went to make his breakfast. She took out some eggs, bacon and bread. When she finished, she re-entered the living room and saw Gaara sitting on his bed. With one last breath, she walked over and gave him his breakfast, which he took. Temari smiled when he seemed pleased with his food.

It didn't take long for Gaara to finish and he stood to put his dish away. He came back and sat across from Temari who returned to reading her book while he ate. He eyed her suspiciously and she felt weird under his stare.

"Is there something I can help you with Gaara?" Gaara didn't reply right away, he was thinking about what he wanted to say.

"Why did you make me breakfast, you usually make sure you're well-kept before you pay any attention to me..." Gaara answered with his emotionless tone.

"I just wanted to make sure you had a decent breakfast."

"But why? Why have you suddenly had an interest in my well-being?" He questioned.

"I'm not sure. You might not think it, but I've always cared for you. I guess I just thought I should finally do something." She answered coolly. Gaara knew how to read people really well; he had to when everyone hated him. He saw no signs of lying in her voice or her body language. He accepted this answer and nodded.

"Temari, what do you think of the invasion?" Gaara asked quietly, knowing the possible chance of someone over hearing them. Temari wasn't expecting a question like that from Gaara.

"I... well I don't really want to do it but it's not like I have much of a choice. Father is the Kazekage and whether or not we like him, we have to follow his orders as the ninjas that we are that serve under him. Why do you ask?" She asked, genuinely curious. Gaara shook his head followed by a grunt.

"It seems pointless to me. I know we have Oto to reinforce us, but Konoha seems to have very strong ninjas in its arsenal. Granted we have the element of surprise, but I still feel like we will lose more than just the invasion." Gaara answered, shocking Temari.

"That's interesting of you to say Gaara. I would've thought you'd be excited to be part of the invasion, seeing as you're going to massacre a huge part of Konoha and its people." Temari commented.

"I wish to prove my existence, as you have stated, I just can't do that if I kill weaklings and children. I see no point in wasting my time with defenceless targets." Gaara defended. Temari chuckled.

"I'm sorry if I offended you; I just thought you were starting to reconsider the whole invasion." She joked, but when she saw Gaara's look of uncertainty she was shocked. "Gaara, you don't plan on defying father, do you?" She asked slowly.

"I am not certain. The last couple of days have left me time to think of my past actions and future decisions. I'm still a part of the invasion, I'm just no sure how long that will last." Gaara told her. "Temari, what I have just told you was in confidence. I expect you not to tell Baki or anyone else. Don't make me regret my decision." Gaara warned as he stood and left the room. Temari remained unmoving, still thinking over her younger brother's words. Surprisingly, it wasn't about his doubt in the invasions that was on her mind.

"He told me that... in confidence?"

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto remained in his seat while he faced a room full of people who had come to hear his story. Kakashi, Kushina, Iruka, Hiashi, and the Third Hokage waited patiently as Naruto thought about what he was going to say. Hinata was sitting right beside him, only because he had insisted she join him. No one under the rank of jounin, besides Naruto, was allowed to be at the meeting, "a matter of security" as the Third put it. Naruto didn't want to tell his story without his girlfriend so he stubbornly held on to Hinata until the Third agreed, much to Hiashi's displeasure.

That is one thing that confused Naruto to no end; Hiashi. He remembered the time when he first met him. He showed very few emotions in the presence of an outsider but Naruto knew he loved his daughter and wife. Now, he was cold and distant when it came to Hinata. It worried him and he had to wonder how long he had been like this. Naruto, of all people, knew when someone was hiding their inner emotions and desires. In his opinion, Hiashi was suppressing many feelings of regret, love and happiness. It seemed to Naruto that since his wife died he had tried to get rid his old life and emotions by burying himself in his work and by expecting too much from Hinata, disappointed in her when she did not meet his demands.

Naruto mentally shrugged his shoulders and sighed. _'What do I know, I'm no psychologist.'_

Naruto then caught Kakashi giving him this odd look. It was a look he hasn't seen before. Though he still felt angry towards his sensei, he was glad he still cared enough to come and listen to where he had been for the last six months.

"Any time now Naruto." The Third said, bring Naruto out of his thoughts. He nodded and started to tell his story.

"Well, while coming back from getting my new swords, my mom and me were ambushed be Kumo hunter-nins and one of their jutsu knocked me out and blocked Kyuubi from talking to me..."

"Hold it Naruto; I don't think it was a wise decision to mention your 'prisoner' in front of Hinata?" Kushina asked. Naruto looked at Hinata and smiled when he saw hers.

"She already knows." Naruto told them, shocking everyone in the room. "And she still wants to be with me. Isn't she great?" He added, making Hinata blush furiously.

"Please continue Naruto." Naruto nodded and continued.

"As I was saying, after that, I remember waking up in a bed. At the time, I had amnesia so I did what anyone in my place would do; I went around the house, yelling in hopes of someone discovering me." Naruto said, making everyone sweat drop.

"A girl around my age showed up and knocked me out again. The second time I woke up, she apologized and told me it was the only way she could think of that would shut me up. She told me her name was Nozomi and that I was in Kumo. After that, she took me around town and introduced me to a couple of her friends. Months passed and I was accepted as a Genin, placed in a team and went training with my team whenever we weren't on missions.

"During that time, I kept having dreams of my old life, my life that I had here. Though I didn't really understand it at that time, I was slowly getting my memories back. Five months after I first joined Kumo, I met Ero-sennin..."

"I told you not to call me that!" Jiraiya interrupted, surprising everyone in the room, except for the Hokage.

"I told you no way!" Naruto retorted. Jiraiya would have said more but when he felt cold steel pressed against his bare skin, he knew something was amiss. He saw Kushina standing to his left, a kunai in her hand and she had a wicked smile plastered on her face.

"Well if it isn't master Jiraiya. My how old you've grown." Kushina greeted in a fake sweet voice that scared everyone in the room. Jiraiya couldn't even gulp because the sudden action would make his throat touch the kunai in Kushina's hand.

"H-Hello there Kushina. My you look lovely today." Jiraiya greeted back, as nervous as the time he was caught peeping on the women's hot spring that one time when it was filled with kunoichi. He had an idea on why she was angry, he was hoping he was wrong though.

"I'm guessing by your nervousness that you know why I'm holding a kunai right at your throat." She said in her sweet voice. Jiraiya tried to nod but his range was limited. "So you also know that we're going to need to talk about it later, right?" This time, she moved her kunai up and down his throat, making him follow it too. She put the kunai away and went back to where she was sitting. "Good!"

Jiraiya rubbed his throat, but had the sudden thought that he was lucky she had the kunai pointing at his throat and not at another precious place.

"You people have to stop interrupting me; it's starting to get annoying. Anyways, I met Ero-sennin when he was doing his 'research' and made him train me. It wasn't easy and it took some convincing on my part, but he agreed and trained me. One night, it suddenly hit me that I was actually from Konoha and who I really was. However, it was also the night when I was abducted and taken to a remote location.

"They did all kinds of tests on me; blood test, psychological test and similar ones. I didn't really get what was going on until I saw a clone of me floating in a test tube next to me. An insane scientist was apparently messing with my DNA and made a clone of me. The scientist explained to me how he was able to extract half of my chakra and placed it in the clone.

"Sometime later, I was forced to battle the clone while most of my chakra was drained. I killed it by blowing up the lab with it still inside. The only reason I am not dead is because I was able to escape at the last minute. Ero-sennin found me and that was when I lost consciousness. Nothing much happened after that. I left, with Ero-sennin, I trained some more and came back to Konoha. Aaaannd yeah, that's about it." Naruto finished, but while he was telling his story, Hinata couldn't help but notice that he was holding something back, something he wasn't telling them.

"Is that all?" The Hokage asked and Naruto nodded. "Are you sure?" Naruto nodded his head again. The Third sighed and dismissed everyone in the room. Naruto was the first one out, followed by Hinata. Hiashi left without a word and Kakashi surprisingly didn't take out his book, he seemed to be sulking about something. Before Jiraiya could leave, Kushina grabbed him by his collar.

"Where do you think you're going? We have a few things to discuss Jiraiya, all of them including my poor, lonely son!" Kushina said with her teeth clenched and her eyes screaming for blood. Jiraiya gulped and wondered how he got himself into that situation.

[*.*.*.*]

"Naruto-kun, slow down." Hinata said as she tried to stop Naruto from running. He stopped walking but didn't turn around, he was completely silent. Hinata was starting to get nervous, she had never seen him so quiet before, not once. He refrained from turning around and facing her. Deciding to take the initiative, she moved herself in front of Naruto and made him look at her.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong? What is making you so upset?" She asked, concerned. As soon as he looked into her eyes he knew he wouldn't be able to resist answering her. "I know you didn't tell the whole truth back there. You're hiding something and I don't like it when you hide things from me..." She looked away as she spoke. "It makes me feel like you don't trust me." She said sadly. That immediately got Naruto active.

"Hinata-chan, please don't think that. I trust out you with me life... it's just..." Naruto paused, trying to find out exactly how he could say what's on his mind. "Come on, if I'm going to tell you, I want it to be in a secluded place, ok?" Hinata nodded.

"C-Can we go to my house?" She asked. Naruto thought it was a weird question to ask but nodded nonetheless. She held his hand and led him to her home. When they got there, the Hyuuga guards looked at them and nodded. Naruto nodded back and walked into Hinata's house. She led him through the halls and into her room.

Hinata's room was pretty simple for someone living in a house full of expensive things. She had a bed that was placed on the left side of the room, a desk on the opposite side, and a small futon near the window. She had a couple of picture frames but not much else.

Naruto took another good look of her room before seeing Hinata signal him to sit next to her on her bed. He sat down and sighed as he began to tell his story, the part that he left out.

**[*.*.Flashback.*.*]**

**Naruto woke up for the third time and saw that he was still confined to the wall like he was an hour ago. He struggled through his chains but because of the many test and drugs he was injected with, he was tired and weak.**

**Out of the corner of his eye, he could see someone writing something down as they looked at the computer. The person was in the shadows so Naruto couldn't see who it was, just that the person was short.**

**The person seemed to figure out something and laughed while Naruto stared in confusion. The person turned his head and was looking right at Naruto. The person smiled as he put his notes down and walked over to Naruto.**

**"So you're awake huh? It's been awhile since the last time you've woken up." The person said in a deep and tired voice.**

**"Who are you... and what do you want?" Naruto shouted through his exhaustion. The person finally stepped out of the shadows and Naruto's eyes widened. "N-No way... you're that guy from seven years ago."**

**Jiro smiled and cherished the fear visible on Naruto's eyes.**

**"Yes I am, I am Jiro and you are the Jinchuuriki for Kyuubi." Jiro once again surprised Naruto.**

**"Y-You know?" Jiro nodded, his sick smile never wavering.**

**"Yes and it was only because of the demon's help were you able to defeat me and my partner. Though the past does not matter as long as we continue on to the future. So now, I will get my revenge for what you did." Jiro walked back into the shadows to recover his notes. Naruto was about to yell again but then he noticed something that disturbed him.**

**In a containment chamber of some kind, was a blond haired kid about his age floating in it and stripped down. That was only the beginning. In his stomach was a symbol similar to the one he always saw when he summoned his chakra. Also, there was also a small amount of Kyuubi's chakra surrounding him. It wasn't a lot but it was enough to be visible.**

**Naruto clenched his teeth and once again tried to break the chains that held him in place.**

**"How dare you take one of your own ninjas and use him for experiments! And why use Kyuubi's chakra, it's poisonous to others, this kid will die in a matter of hours!" Naruto yelled, getting a chuckle for a reply.**

**"Shut up, you think I don't know that? I tried using Kyuubi's chakra on one of our ninjas but he ended up dying in minutes. Haro didn't stand a chance. The experiment was proved fatal and fruitless." Jiro told Naruto.**

**"Why do you keep trying if you know it's pointless?" Naruto asked.**

**"I try because I know this one won't die."**

**"And what makes you so sure?" Jiro smile widened into an insane one as he answered.**

**"Because this 'kid' is not human!" Naruto stopped struggling and relaxed in his chains. "Yes, the boy you see in that container is not human. He was made from your generous donations of blood, hair, skin and Kyuubi's chakra. It was very interesting to see how the boy's entire structure was formed from the help of Kyuubi's chakra. It might have taken some time and help but finally, my work is complete!" Jiro laughed maniacally and Naruto couldn't believe it.**

**"And with the amount of chakra he absorbed from you, the clone will be powerful enough to gain two or three tails!" Naruto's eyes widened and he watched in horror as his clone started waking up, slowly opening his eyes.**

**The clone suddenly burst through the glass and he fell to the ground. A few seconds later, the clone stood up and his blond locks started to darken until it was completely black, then into a distinct silver color.**

**"Interesting, the particles in his hair seemed to interact with the oxygen particles in the air... but it is not important." Jiro said as he faced Naruto. The clone also looked at Naruto and his eyes sparked. The clone smiled a smile similar to one Naruto smiled whenever he had a mischievous thought.**

**"You, I will name Takeo since that is the alias Naruto had and you will fight Naruto... to the death. I'll finally get revenge on you, and when you're out of the picture, Takeo will abduct the Hyuga girl and Kumo will finally a doujutsu! " Takeo immediately jumped into action, disappearing and reappearing in front of Naruto, landing a sharp punch to the stomach. Naruto gasped in pain as he felt his ribs crack from the pressure. Behind him, he heard the wall begin to crack.**

**Takeo backs his other fist and sent it Naruto's ribs as they once again cracked and so did the wall. Takeo continued the assault while purposely ignoring Jiro's demand to stop. With one last punch, which sent Naruto through the wall, setting him free, Takeo turned and faced his creator.**

**"I told you to stop. You just destroyed that wall and in the process, some of the equipment. I'll give you a chance to kill him but not here!" Jiro yelled but Takeo's expression was unreadable. Suddenly, a massive amount of chakra was being focused on Takeo's hands as his hands impulsively went through hand signs and then held an open palm facing Jiro.**

**Without warning, fire and water started spiraling around Takeo's open hand. He closed it and the fire and water rushed right into Jiro, massacring him and destroying the equipment and everything in the room.**

**Outside the hidden building, Naruto crawled into the open space and struggled to get on his feet. He couldn't believe the strength Takeo had, it was unbelievable. The fact that he was able to crawl out of the building before Takeo unleashed the attack was a miracle in and of itself. Naruto dropped to the floor as scalpels and needles flew at him from inside the building. Naruto looked behind him and saw Takeo smiling at him while wearing a lab coat that covered his naked body.**

**The wind blew as Naruto and Takeo continued to stare at each other. Takeo shifted to his right leg as he unsheathed both of Naruto's swords. Naruto narrowed his eyes and he saw Takeo play with his swords by throwing them into the air and catching them by the end blade. No blood was spilled in his hands and Takeo threw one sword straight at Naruto. Naruto rolled on his side and avoided the sword that almost decapitated him. He stood again with the help of his sword and then held it in his hands.**

**He panted heavily as Takeo made a mad dash for him. Naruto brought his sword up and blocked Takeo's own strike. Takeo smirked and pushed down harder, making Naruto get on his knees. Naruto found some fight in him and suddenly stood up and pushed Takeo back. Takeo flipped back as Naruto tried to strike him down with a vertical arc.**

**Takeo's annoying smiled never left his face, annoying Naruto to no end. Then, Takeo raised his chakra level and everything suddenly felt heavy for Naruto. His vision became statically and was having trouble breathing.**

_**'His chakra level... it's incredible.' **_**Naruto thought as he went down on one knee. He supported himself with his sword and squinted his left eye as he saw Takeo heading for him.**

**"Why are you weak? I'm not weak and I came from you. Or are you too afraid to fight me?" Takeo mocked. Naruto didn't get angry, he knew what Takeo was trying and it wasn't going to work.**

**"Not going to fight? Fine, it'll be easier for me to kill you and take what's yours." Naruto could sense a hidden meaning behind Takeo's words.**

**"What do you mean?" Naruto warily asked.**

**"Like these swords for starters. And when I take your place in the Chunin exams, I'll go to Konoha and take what belongs to you; Hinata. It'll be so fun to finally be able to see her and make her my mate!"**

**"Leave Hinata out of this, she has nothing to do with you!" Naruto yelled.**

**"Oh but that's the thing; being a clone of yours, I have all your memories and feelings. While you may feel actual love for Hinata, I just feel a lot of lust that you've been suppressing for her and I'll be able to fulfil these feelings after I destroy you." Naruto clenched his teeth together and lifted his sword high into the air. With the small amount of chakra he felt, he suppressed Kyuubi's chakra against the blade.**

**"****Demon Art: Slicing Chakra Invocation!****" The chakra rushed off the blade and went towards Takeo. Takeo's own sword lit up with Kyuubi's chakra and swiped it, making it go head to head with Naruto's attack. Takeo's attack was much stronger so it cut right through Naruto's jutsu and straight towards him. Naruto jumped out of the way and felt the backlash of Takeo's jutsu. The after force made Naruto let go of his sword and fly across the field.**

**Naruto willed his body to stand but could not so much as lift his upper body.**

**Is that it, is that all you have to offer?" Naruto eyed Takeo with such hatred that it could freeze hell over. Takeo, though was unfazed by his cold stare.**

**"I can beat the crap out of you." Naruto muttered.**

**"Then stand up and fight me... after you take off your mask." Naruto flinched and returned to his feet after Takeo suppressed his chakra.**

**'He knows about that too...?' Naruto thought and went to remove his mask but then he saw Takeo's smile suddenly waver for a second while he looked to his left. His smile returned and he waved at Naruto.**

**"It seems we do not have time to play Naruto but..." Takeo walked over to reclaim the other sword. He stood up straight and faced Naruto again.**

**"I promise that I will take Hinata from you and destroy you. And I can assure I will complete this promise because it is also my ninja way." Takeo vanished in thin air and a human sized toad jumped in front of Naruto. Jiraiya could be seen on top of the toad with a small smirk.**

**"Need a hand, kid?" Naruto felt light headed and let his head fall to the ground. His last conscious thought was of Takeo's words.**

_**"...I will take Hinata from you and destroy you..."**_

**[*.*.End of Flashback.*.*]**

Hinata remained quiet throughout his whole explanation. She was speechless when he finished and he wondered what was going through Hinata's mind. Hinata, meanwhile, was thinking about how weird it suddenly became. She knew there was something odd about Takeo and how he reminded her of Naruto, and now she knew why. It was even more surprising that the person who tried to kidnap her seven years ago was responsible for the whole thing.

"Hinata-chan? Are you there?" Naruto said while waving his hand in front of her face. She grabbed his hand and stopped it.

"Y-Yeah, it's just... it's a lot to take in right now." She answered. Hinata then looked up at Naruto. "This is very important information that should be told to the Hokage, Naruto-kun. Why didn't you tell him?" Hinata asked.

"Well because there's nothing he could do about it. Kumo wasn't responsible for Jiro's experimentation, and he can't stop the exams just because of one clone; he would disappoint the Daimayo and Konoha would lose much of its respect. I know what I'm doing Hinata-chan and I'm going to be the one to settle this." Naruto replied to her, confident in himself to follow through with his words.

"Still, I think the Hokage should know."

"It's too late now, and it's not that important. Right now, you need to pack up." Naruto said while standing. Hinata looked at him curiously and watched him head for her window.

"Wait, but why?" She asked and Naruto turned around to face her.

"Because you're coming with me when Itachi-sensei comes to get me to train." Hinata just stared at him incredulous. He felt odd receiving that look from Hinata.

"B-But Itachi said I couldn't come." Hinata reminded him but Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"And I said I wasn't going to go unless you come with us. I won't leave you alone while Takeo is still alive." Naruto said stubbornly.

"I'm glad that you care Naruto-kun but I don't want to be the reason why you don't get stronger." Hinata told him but Naruto remained adamant.

"You won't be because you will come with me." Naruto retorted but Hinata still had one last argument.

"But what if Itachi doesn't take you because of me?" Naruto sighed and walked back to where Hinata.

"Then I won't go with him. I would rather stay here and make sure your safe then go off with Itachi-sensei to learn one or two jutsu. Trust me Hinata, whether or not I go with Itachi-sensei, I will still become powerful and will make sure you are safe; from Takeo to anything else. I will always be there for you, to protect you..." Naruto raised Hinata's hand and kissed it. Being the girl that she was she blushed from his action. "Or to support you, whichever one is necessary. Besides, Itachi-sensei has no personality, it can get a bit boring sometimes. So can we please drop it so you can pack?"

Hinata giggled and nodded and Naruto smiled as he headed for the window. Hinata then remembered something and stopped him.

"Wait Naruto-kun." Naruto barely made it out the window before hearing his name being called. He looked back into the room and saw Hinata smiling at him and holding the doorknob to her closet. "There's someone who'll probably want to see you."

Hinata opened her closet and Naruto saw Miyu sleeping in a makeshift bed. Miyu looked up tiredly and saw Naruto, making her stand excitedly and run to him. Naruto didn't get much time to react once Miyu jumped onto his chest. With her speed and momentum, Miyu forced Naruto back and he was free falling into the ground.

Naruto hit the ground with a loud thud and Miyu relentlessly licked Naruto's cheeks. Even if he felt the pain from his fall, Naruto didn't show it as he stood. He was happy to see Miyu again; she was one of the few people and things he missed while he was away. Hinata giggled as she saw Miyu get off Naruto and start circling him.

[*.*.*.*]

It was midnight and all was still, no one moved at all and the moon shined brightly over Konoha. On top of the Hokage's monument, two shadows moved swiftly over the past Hokage's heads. They stopped atop of the Fourth's head and waited for someone to appear.

"I still think he won't let me come." Hinata said solemnly. Naruto moved in front of Hinata and raised her chin. Her light lavender eyes connecting with Naruto's blue ones as he spoke.

"But I know I won't go without you. Now relax, it's not like he'll overreact if I tell him I won't go without you. He can be a very understanding guy." Naruto reassured her and planted a quick kiss on her lips. She felt shivers run down her body and she couldn't help but smile. Naruto always made her feel good, whatever the situation may be.

Naruto looked across the area and saw Itachi waiting for Naruto.

"So, are you going to let Hinata join us or are you still against it?" Naruto asked. Itachi shook his head sideways.

"Sorry Naruto, but I can't allow her to come; she'll only slow you down." Hinata was hurt by Itachi's words and then felt Naruto put his arm around her shoulders.

"Well that's too bad because like I said, I'm not going unless she does too."

"You're not strong enough to deal with what is to come ahead, and if you'll want to survive and protect her as well, you might want to reconsider your decision." Itachi explained but Naruto still shook his head.

"But what if I'm gone and that teme decides to attack Hinata again or something worse? There would be no point in becoming stronger if the only reason for becoming stronger isn't here for me to protect." Naruto retorted.

"So you're disobeying a direct order from your superior?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, I am." Itachi shook his head in disappointment. Hinata watched and felt that the conversation was about to go downhill.

"Such an act is considered treasonous and you know what happens to those who are guilty of treason..." Itachi disappeared and Naruto was barely able to push Hinata out of the way before Itachi threw a kunai at them. Naruto looked up and saw Itachi moving within his cloak, knowing he was getting ready to throw another kunai. He then disappeared again and Naruto went to Hinata's side as quickly as possible.

"They are sentenced to death." Itachi finished saying as he held his kunai directly above Naruto's heart.

"What the hell?"

* * *

**Traitor... Irrational... Insane...Maybe some of the words you might be thinking about after you read the end of the story... Itachi seems so adamant about not letting Hinata go... Weird...  
**

**Yeah, someone's going to die and I wonder who... Itachi, Naruto, Hinata, Takeo... Jiraiya? Who knows, maybe you will if you wait another week to read about it... Maybe no one will die, we'll see...**

**Please leave a generous review explaining how you feel about my story... unless you hate it in which case... why are you still reading this if you hate it so much? Anyways, please review!**

**Next chapter: Gaara, enemy or ally?**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	16. Gaara, enemy or ally?

**Yo, chapter 16 is up and ready to be read! I'm sorry but i'm not sure how fast I'll be able to update seeing as I got not only school problems but also women trouble... My mom, sisters and this one girl are so troublesome that it's not even funny! I can't get sh*t done at all...**

**Anyways, I know that many of my chapters end with cliffhangers and that's not really fair of me... I'm going stop doing that for a few chapters because I'm sure some of you are getting sick of it already... I'm not guaranteeing that I'll stop making cliffhangers, just that I'll tone it down some...**

**Haha I got this review from Roo-Soo7 that said my cliffies alone could kill people of suspense... Haha yeah , I'd like to apologize for that again... Also, RogueNya, you're pretty smart huh? Haha nice guess!**

**Oh yeah, if you'd like some side pairings to go along with the story, like have this story include other pairing such as Neji/ten, Shika/tema Gaa/Mat, etc, etc... go to my profile where there's a poll on what other pairings should be in this story...**

**And what is up with ff .net? I post this chapter more than two times and I saw nothing? THey got to fix this site before everyone gets pissed...  
**

**So without anymore interruptions, here's chapter 16**

**Chapter 16: Gaara, enemy or ally?**

**Disclaimer: i don't own Naruto...**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"Such an act is considered treasonous and you know what happens to those who are guilty of treason..." Itachi disappeared and Naruto was barely able to push Hinata out of the way before Itachi threw a kunai at them. Naruto looked up and saw Itachi moving within his cloak, knowing he was getting ready to throw another kunai. He then disappeared again and Naruto went to Hinata's side as quickly as possible._

_"They are sentenced to death." Itachi finished saying as he held his kunai directly above Naruto's heart._

_"What the hell?"_

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto flipped back, trying to get away from Itachi and closer to Hinata. Hinata stood completely unharmed as Naruto stubbornly stood near her, panting and letting his blood fall from several different cuts. Itachi stood unaffected from the fight he was having with Naruto. He had to admit though; Naruto was a lot tougher than he remembered he was.

Itachi shook his head in disappointment, Naruto still couldn't see it. Naruto fell to one knee and Hinata ran to his aid. Naruto put his hand up and stopped Hinata from continuing.

"Don't... Hinata-chan, stay back..." Hinata then shocked Naruto by slapping his hand away. He and Itachi looked at her in shock.

"No Naruto-kun, that's enough. I know you're doing this to protect me but you don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself." She said, but he was still too shocked to reply. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, Itachi teleported over to where Hinata and Naruto were and went to slice Naruto's neck open. Hinata though, blocked his kunai with one of her own and started closing the chakra points in his right arm. Before she could finish however, Itachi jumped back and rubbed his right arm.

"Foolish girl, it is fruitless to fight back. All you will do is hold Naruto back." Hinata's stance faltered for a second before she returned to it.

"I don't care, I will help Naruto-kun out as much as I can, at whatever price." Hinata said solidly. Itachi moved to attack her and she jumped up, dodging a kunai and threw one of her own. Itachi parried this one off and headed straight for her. For the second time now, Itachi was surprised when someone intervened in his fight.

Naruto spat a huge fireball straight at Itachi and Itachi had to give up on his attack just to avoid the fireball. Itachi landed a few feet away but was given no time to rest as Hinata was headed his way, her eyes showing her kekkei genkai active. He dodged many of her attacks but some did get through his defense and even got his entire right arm numb.

Itachi took no chance in getting his other arm disabled so he started making one handed hand signs. Hinata jumped back so she wouldn't be so close to him as he readied his hand and chakra. He put his left hand near his mouth sucked in some air.

_'__**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!**_' He thought as a fireball headed straight for both of them. They both separated and watched as the fireball flew passed them and into a tree. Naruto didn't want to start a forest fire so he made the same hand signs Itachi made and sucked in some air.

_'__**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!**__'_ Naruto spat his own fireball, smothering Itachi's fire with his and stopping them both. Naruto looked back to where Hinata was fighting Itachi and was surprised to see that she was actually holding her own against him. However, Naruto could see that Itachi was holding back.

Hinata spun under Itachi's left jab and tried to kick his feet from under him. Itachi jumped and avoided her sweep kick and brought his knee up to her face. Hinata leaned back at an impossible angle and flipped back, hitting him on his chin. Itachi however recovered quickly and kicked Hinata in the stomach to put some distance between the two. Naruto though had other ideas.

He jumped into the air while grabbing Hinata's hands and swung her around and when he thought he was going fast enough, he let her go making her fly in Itachi's direction. She flipped in mid-air and tried to kick Itachi's chest but he blocked it with his forearm and Hinata jump off his forearm. Seeing as he was distracted, Naruto ran closely to the ground until he was two feet away from Itachi and jumped up, connecting a right hook with Itachi's chin.

Naruto and Hinata smiled but it disappeared when Itachi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. This got them back on the defensive, getting back to back and looking everywhere for Itachi.

"Very good, very good. I am surprised at the level of teamwork you both seem to possess." Itachi's voice rang around the area. "I see now that I was correct in assuming that you Hinata are no burden to Naruto or to any other you will work with." Naruto and Hinata were both shocked by what Itachi said that they didn't even notice him walking up to him.

"T-Thank you Itachi-sensei." Naruto said after snapping out of his shock, still a little wary of Itachi.

"Please Naruto, don't believe for a minute that I would actually betray you. This was merely a test to see if Hinata would really hold you back."

"So does that me that I can go?" Hinata said meekly. Even though she was a great ninja, Itachi knew she had to grow out of her shell to become a better fighter.

"Yes, you can." Hinata smiled and was hugged by Naruto. She blushed a little but her smile never left her face. Soon after Naruto let go, he fell to the ground, knocked out and snoring loudly. Hinata started to giggle and could tell Itachi was entertained as well, even if he didn't show it.

"I guess we will have to leave tomorrow seeing as he won't awake until tomorrow. You don't mind taking him to his home do you Hinata?" Hinata turned a beet red at the thought of going inside Naruto's house but nodded nevertheless. Itachi nodded his head and bid a fare well. Hinata picked Naruto up and was surprised when she could barely hold him up. She tried her best to carry him but his feet kept dragging on the ground while she tried to balance him on her back.

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata was very glad when she finally reached Naruto's house five meters behind the park. She found it rather odd that he lived in the middle of the forest. She opened the door which was oddly unlocked so she had no trouble getting into his home. After she entered and turned on the lights, she was treated with the sight of a messy living room. Ramen cups were all over the kitchen and over his couch as well. The cushions were also torn apart and Hinata could tell that Miyu was responsible for that.

Speaking of Miyu, she had come out of a room and jumped on Hinata's shoulder. Hinata kind of wavered with Miyu on her shoulder. Even though she still had some growing to do, Miyu was pretty big; bigger than she should have been, but Hinata had guessed she had been eating healthy... well, for a fox anyway.

With Miyu's help, Hinata was able to locate Naruto's room. When she entered, she saw that his room wasn't as messy as she thought it would be. His bed, which was on the left side of the room, had its covers thrown everywhere but at least it was all on the bed. On the right side of his bed was a drawer with an alarm and three picture frames. Across the room, his closet was slightly open and Hinata could see all his blue shirts, black sleeveless shirts, black shorts and pants and his ninja shoes.

She giggled when she saw about ten of his ripped masks on a pile in the corner of his room. She stopped looking around his room long enough to help him lay on his bed. It amazed her how out of it he was, but then again, he did fight for over an hour nonstop against Itachi who was said to have passed the Chunin exams by the age of 10 and even became an ANBU captain when he was 13. That spoke volumes about Naruto and his own potential.

She watched him sleep and couldn't help but smile when his snoring died down and a smile came upon his lips.

"Hinata... chan..." He mumbled. Hinata's smile grew and she leaned down and kissed Naruto's cheek. Hinata giggled when she saw him blush, even with the small amount of moonlight in the room, it was as clear as day. She backed up a little, heading for the door but not wanting to look away when she suddenly bumped into his drawer, making two of his picture frames to be fall back on the drawer and one to fall to the floor.

Hinata panicked and hoped that the glass didn't crack. First, she made the ones on the desk get up right. Thanks to the moonlight coming from Naruto's open window, she saw that the first picture was one of her, Naruto and Sasuke, along with Kakashi, in their team picture. At the time, she was a lot more shy than she was now and Naruto still had no clue about her feelings. Though to be fair, she didn't know about his feelings at that time either. The next picture made her blush but smile.

The picture was when she and Naruto had that awkward moment in the kitchen of Ichiraku's. Hinata had slipped on a sponge and held on to the first thing she could, which was Naruto. Naruto had held on to the sink and had his left arm wrapped around her waist. Her hands had gone on his chest and she had no blalance on her feet, making her lean on Naruto. Both of their mouths were inches away from each other and both were looking at each other with so much intensity, Hinata almost fainted. That was when Ayame came into the room and took the picture.

Hinata giggled, she didn't even remember seeing Ayame take that picture. She put the picture back on top his drawer and went to leave the room but then stepped on the last picture frame, making the glass crack a little. She flinched and bent down to pick it up. She saw that the glass was broken and she sighed at her clumsiness. She stood up straight and saw that the picture was a recent one. The picture brought tears to Hinata's eyes as she continued to look at it. She then felt two strong arms gently wrap themselves around her shoulders and a chin placed on her shoulder.

"I like that picture a lot." Naruto said sleepily. Hinata nodded and held the picture close to her. Luckily, glass was not pointing out she wasn't cut. Hinata placed the picture back down and just kept looking at it. Naruto looked at it with her with a smile just as happy as hers.

It was the picture Kushina took a day after Hinata woke up after the preliminaries. It showed Naruto looking down lovingly at Hinata while she slept and him pulling her short hair behind her ear. She was so out of it that she didn't really notice the flash or the touch. This picture said a lot to Hinata, all the things she wanted to hear. It told her that he would always be there for her, to watch over her even while they slept, that he would stay loyal and would always be with her to love and support her.

Hinata wasn't so sure how she got all of that and more from one picture but she didn't care. She truly believed that a picture's worth a thousand words. She turned her head and saw that Naruto had his mask off and was smiling at her. She smiled back at him and he slowly initiated a kiss.

Naruto could feel her tears continue to fall and wiped them away. He leaned back and brought her down to his bed, with her on the left side of him. They kept the kiss going until they needed to part for air. With one last kiss to the forehead, Naruto yawned and kept a tight hold on Hinata.

"Good night Hinata-hime." Hinata tried to resist to fall asleep but it was no use. She yawned as well and snuggled up to Naruto's chest.

"Good night Naruto-kun."

[*.*.*.*]

Gaara put the book down as he finished reading the last page. He sighed and stretched as he looked out at Konoha while the moon shined down on it. He had gotten used to seeing Konoha whenever he looked out from the balcony. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place that Gaara's doubt in the invasion continued to grow with each passing day.

Temari slowly walked up to Gaara, not wanting him to mistake her for an enemy.

"Why are you quiet when approaching me Temari?" Turning around, Gaara faces his sister who's surprised that he knew she was there. "Are you trying to sneak up on me so the Suna would finally be free from me and Shukaku?"

"It's not that Gaara, I promise. It's just that I didn't want your sand to attack me, I was just being cautious, is all." Temari answered.

"Are you saying that I do not have enough self-control to stop my sand from attacking you?" Gaara asked again.

"No Gaara, that's not it. I just don't want to provoke you in any way." Gaara seemed to accept this answer as he didn't speak again. Temari calmed down a bit and walked closer to him until she was right by his side. They just watched Konoha in silence until Temari decided to start another conversation.

"So, are you still unsure if you'll go along with father's plan?" Temari asked. Gaara didn't answer right away. He remained passive as a breeze blew passed them.

"I am unsure of how smart it'll be to part take in it, but I will be part of the invasion. While I still think that it will not end well, I see no reason to not continue as planned. I am a major part of the invasion and even though I despise father, I cannot let him down; whether he be my father or the Kazekage."

"So until there is a reason for you not to take part in the invasion, you'll still do it?" Gaara nodded his head.

"I have no choice; if I don't do what is asked of me, I will be shunned from Suna and have nowhere else to go. Konoha won't trust me and I am a jinchuuriki, who would want me?" Gaara explained. "The only logical thing to do is to follow Suna's orders... for now." Gaara jumped up and onto the rail.

"I'm going to go walk around for a bit, don't wait up." Gaara jumped down onto the ground and started walking in a random direction. Temari watched him go and sighed.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto grunted as he felt the sun's light hit his face, he tried to turn to his side but could because something was stopping him. He looked down and was about to just push off whatever it was that was on him until he saw a mop of dark blue hair resting on his chest. He completely froze and was honestly confused but then panicked. He looked under the blanket he and Hinata were under and let out a sigh of relief when he saw both of them still had their clothes on. Except for Hinata who apparently during sometime in the night had taken off her jacket.

Naruto took in a deep breath and in doing so, was able to take in Hinata's scent. She smelled like lilacs and ramen. Naruto chuckled a bit; he knew he was to blame for the latter. He stroked her hair and felt her stir a little, so he stopped and continued to watch her until he felt himself getting sleepy again. He closed his eyes and felt himself losing consciousness.

Hinata looked up at him and saw Naruto had fallen asleep again. She had woken up a couple of minutes before he had and didn't even realize that he was awake until he started stroking her head. She impulsively stirred a little when she felt him doing that and when he stopped, she was a little disappointed. She wondered how much longer he would be asleep for.

Hinata reached up, held his cheek in her hand and traced the whisker marks he had on his cheeks. She felt his skin under hers and enjoyed the feeling of it. Then Naruto's hand sprung up and held her hand. Hinata gasped and looked at Naruto who still had his eyes shut.

"So you're awake now?" Naruto asked groggily.

"Y-Yeah." Hinata said, feeling her blood rush to her face. Naruto opened his left eye and smiled at her after seeing her blush.

"I'm not sure why you're blushing but you look cute doing it." Naruto said, making her blush darken and braking the eye contact.

"Thank you." Hinata said and Naruto bent his head forward and kissed her forehead. Then he sat up, taking Hinata up with him and stretched his right arm. Hinata got off of him and stretched her own arms.

"Time to get ready for the day." Naruto yawned and stood up. He took his shirt off and grabbed a towel. Hinata's blush, by this time, had left her face but when she saw Naruto's muscular back, she started to blush again. She 'eeped' and tried to stay conscious while her mind came up with fantasies that should never enter a Hyuga's mind. Naruto turned around when he heard her 'eep.

"Are you ok Hinata-hime?" Hinata then saw Naruto's abs and chest in all its glory. Hinata was wobbling on Naruto's bed, a very small amount of blood coming down her nose. Naruto spotted this and laughed so hard that he fell onto the floor. Hinata though didn't hear him laugh because she was already unconscious on his bed.

After his shower and Hinata had gone home, Naruto left his home and went straight for Ichiraku's with Miyu not far behind. Miyu yawned silently as she remained on Naruto's shoulders.

"Man Miyu, I swear you were never this heavy. You have to watch what you're eating from now on, because if you keep eating like you do, you'll have to walk on your own. No more riding on my shoulders, you got that?" Naruto asked but Miyu didn't answer, it seemed that she was calling his bluff.

"You think I'm kidding well..." Naruto didn't get a chance to finish as Miyu jumped off his shoulder and ran forward. This confused Naruto until he felt a lighter being jump onto his head and then off him, making him lose his concentration and balance and he fell forward. He was able to catch himself before his face hit the ground but then suddenly, a heavy force forced his face into the ground.

Naruto sprang up and saw Kiba running after Akamaru who was apparently the reason why Miyu had made a run for it.

"Kiba..." Naruto growled and suddenly disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

[*.*.*.*]

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled as he continued to be out ran by his partner. Kiba wasn't sure how it had happened but Akamaru started running in a random direction until he saw Naruto's fox. Kiba wasn't sure what it was about the fox that antagonized Akamaru.

Kiba sped up a bit and was mere inches away from Akamaru until an unseen object made him trip and fall onto the sidewalk. He was about to get up but then something made his head slam back onto the pavement. The something then jumped off him and Kiba could feel his bones ache from the sudden impact. He looked up and saw a mask wearing blond crouched down in front of him and looking right at him.

"Naruto you jerk, what was that for?"

"For doing the same to me! I was on the floor just like you and then you suddenly ran over me, slamming me onto the ground. Now we're even." Naruto said as he stood up straight and walked away. Kiba growled, now he really hated Naruto. First he took Hinata away from him and now he had taken a cheap shot at him.

Kiba shot up and then ran into Naruto, tackling him to the ground and punched his face. Naruto was shocked but that was knocked out of him after Kiba's first punch. He grabbed his second punch before it hit him and with unknown strength, lifted Kiba over him and threw him across the street. Naruto wiped the blood of the side of his mouth and spit out some more blood.

Kiba stood up with some trouble as his landing was not as soft as he would have liked it to be. He shook his head and watched as Naruto stand up without a problem. Kiba was sure that the first punch would have knocked him out, if not made him a little groggy. He growled and charged after Naruto who looked up in time to see Kiba try to tackle him again.

Naruto sidestepped Kiba, then grabbed his right arm with his right hand and forced it onto his back. Then Naruto grabbed the collar of his shirt with his left hand and spun on his heel while taking Kiba with him, making the ninja lose his balance and fall to the floor. Naruto made Kiba's right arm go up, applying more pressure onto his elbow. Kiba wasn't sure how he had gotten into this but all he knew was that he needed to get out of it; he just wasn't sure how.

Naruto then felt something bite down on his right arm and he let Kiba go. When he looked at his right arm, he saw Akamaru biting down, forcefully. Before he could think, Naruto felt someone's knee hit him on the chin. He flew back and into the middle of the street. Years of fighting and instincts told him to move and quickly. He rolled back onto a handstand and flipped back a couple of times.

When he stopped, Naruto saw Kiba standing where he once was with his fist where his head had been.

Naruto wasn't sure if Kiba was trying to kill him or not, but he wasn't about to take the chance of finding out.

"What the hell are you doing attacking me?" Naruto asked, trying to calm the angered Kiba down.

"You attacked me first!" Kiba retorted as he jumped forward, bring his arm down to slash Naruto. Naruto blocked it with his left forearm and kicked him in his sternum. Kiba took two steps back but continued his assault.

"I did not, I retaliated but now you're just attacking for no reason. It's not like I stole from you or something." Naruto said as he continued to block or dodge Kiba's animalistic attacks. Naruto though found it odd that instead of slowing down, his attacks actually picked up speed and even had more force behind it then it had before.

"But you did, you stole Hinata from me!" Naruto was surprised to hear this; he put his hand down and remained still. This gave Kiba the chance to spin in a top like manner and hit him directly in his chest. Naruto had seen him spin around, he even saw him head for him and could've moved if he wanted to. The problem, though was that he was too chocked at what he had just heard to react to it.

_'I stole Hinata from him... STOLE HINATA?'_ As so as Naruto hit the ground, he felt his anger suddenly flaring. He tried to stand but his body refused to listen to him. He struggled just to look up at Kiba.

_'Heal damn it! Get up, GET UP!'_ Naruto yelled in his mind. He then noticed Kiba walking to him, looking like a predator waiting for the perfect chance to attack his prey. Akamaru was trying to stop Kiba from progressing any further but Kiba wasn't listening, all he saw was Naruto and a perfect chance to attack him.

_'GO!'_ Kiba's instincts told him and he jumped up and spun quickly.

"**Tunneling Fang!**" Kiba approached Naruto at high speeds, high enough to actually kill him. Naruto tried to move but he knew he couldn't move quick enough to avoid Kiba's attack. He braced himself for a huge amount of pain but it never came. He opened his eyes and saw a massive wall of sand standing in between him and Kiba.

Kiba hadn't expected to run into a wall, much less one made of sand. He saw it coming but he had busted through walls before so he didn't give it much thought. He was soon proven wrong when the sand actually held together and forced him to stop his attack.

When Kiba took a couple of steps back, the sand wall started to collapse and a boy's form could be seen under the sand. When the sand completely receded into a gourd, Gaara could be seen looking at Kiba, his stare making Kiba shake with fear. His eyes held so much hatred against him, actually screaming for his blood.

Even though he looked calm, Gaara was actually fuming on the inside. He didn't know why exactly he felt like this but he didn't really want to see if Naruto would survive against Kiba's attack. Gaara felt a sort of connection with the blond haired boy, one he didn't think existed. It was almost like he felt a brotherly bond with Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, are you alright?" Gaara said casually. Naruto could feel Kyuubi healing him but it didn't heal as fast as he wanted it to heal. Naruto was glad that Gaara had stepped in before it was too late. He looked at Kiba who looked about ready to faint from the killing intent he felt from Gaara.

"Yeah, I'll live. Thank you Gaara, you really saved my butt." Naruto said oddly cheerfully. He then got serious and gave his attention to a scared Kiba. "Leave now Kiba, before Gaara decides to kill you."

Kiba didn't wait for Naruto to finish as he picked Akamaru up and quickly went home, his tail between his legs. Naruto sighed and placed his weary hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"I really do appreciate you saving me Gaara. You seem to be changing, if only a little." Naruto said with a smile that hid behind his mask. Gaara looked at him a nodded his head. "Say, how about you and me head to Ichiraku to get some ramen, my treat!" Naruto proposed. Gaara thought about it and shook his head.

"I'm sorry Naruto but I simply can't." Gaara replied but Naruto wouldn't take no as an answer.

"Nonsense, besides you have nothing better to do, admit it! All you have the option of doing is either watching TV, train or sleep; all of which is not as good as getting ramen." Gaara was starting to lose his patience with Naruto.

"I said no." Gaara retorted but still Naruto didn't quit.

"And I said yes... Come on, I don't want to seem like I don't have any friends by going alone and Hinata-chan is busy. Trust me, you'll love the stuff after you try it." By now, Gaara knew it would be pointless to say no. The only thing he could think of doing so as to not go was to kill him, which he didn't want to do, or lie.

"Unfortunately Naruto, I have already made plans with my sister and brother. I just can't drop everything just so to accompany you to eat." Gaara said as an excuse. Naruto stopped walking and thought about the situation but then got an idea as he turned into a different direction and continued to drag Gaara around.

"Ok then, we'll just invite them as well, the more the merrier." Naruto said. Gaara couldn't believe how stubborn Naruto was being but knew it was useless now; he wouldn't be able to change Naruto's mind.

[*.*.*.*]

Temari lazily got off her bed and opened the door. She was surprised to see the mask wearing blond from the preliminaries standing outside her door with a grumbling Gaara.

"Hey, you Temari?" Temari nodded dumbly and saw the blond eye smile at her. "Good cause I've been looking all over for you."

Temari blushed a little when she heard this. She hadn't expected a cute looking blond looking for her, especially one in Konoha.

"For what?" She asked suspiciously.

"I was able to convince Gaara to get ramen with me but told me he had plans with you and your brother. So I came here to ask both of you if you'd like to join us!" Naruto explained. Temari looked at him weirdly, then at Gaara, then at Naruto again.

"Uhm..." Temari was at lost for words.

"Count me out." Kankuro yelled from inside the room. Temari was about to deny as well but saw a look of need in Gaara's eyes. A look that told her he wanted her to go, as to not be alone with the blond kid. She sighed in defeat and nodded her head.

"Sure, just let me get my shoes and we'll go." She said glumly but Naruto didn't notice.

"Great!" Naruto said, as hyper as ever.

"Great..." Gaara echoed, as passive as ever.

* * *

**See, not really suspenseful right? right?**

**well I don't think so, so whatever...**

**Again, please check out the poll in my profile if you'd like to see other pairings in this story and do it soon because I won't start typing the next chapter until I get more votes to see what other pairings you'd like to see...**

**In the next chapter, I'll try to focus on other people and their relationship with one another, whether they be brotherly like Gaara and Naruto or Temari and Gaara, or like an actually relationship like the one that Naruto and Hinata have, but it's all up to you to see which ones get that kind of relationship... If you care at all here are your options and not in this order:**

**-Keep it HinaNaru/NaruHina only!**

**-Kushina/Kakashi...**

**-Kushina/Zabuza...**

**-Anko/Kakashi (it'll be hard to do but I can squeeze it in...)**

**-Kurenai/Kakashi...**

**-Kurenai/Asuma...**

**-FemHaku/Sasuke...**

**-FemHaku/Shino (Shino needs some love too...)**

**-Temari/Shikamaru...**

**-Ino/Shikamaru...**

**-Ino/Choji...**

**-Ino/Kiba...**

**-Sakura/Kiba**

**-Sakura/Lee...**

**-Sakura/Sasuke...**

**-Sakura/Gaara...**

**-Matsuri/Gaara...**

**-Tenten/Neji...**

**-Tenten/Lee...**

**I hope I still have your interest at this point and if I ever take too long to update, I'd like to say now that I'm sorry...**

**Please review and tell me what you think about my story and how it's progressing at this point in time!**

**Next chapter: Time off before setting off...**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	17. Time off before setting off part 1

**Chapter 17 and it's early too! Whoa, weird huh?**

**So about this whole chapter-16-not-there-thing... What was up with that? I mean, seriously, nothing was there but it said I did post it, which is weird... has to fix there problem because it's starting to get on my nerves, it really is...**

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR NOTE BELOW!  
**

**On to business, the poll for the pairings is still up if you haven't voted yet but if you have and don't know which way the pairings are going, here's the top 2 pairings...:**

**Keep Hinata/Naruto... 10 out of 55 votes wanted this one and...**

**Temari/Shikamaru... 8 out of 55...**

**Very cool because I like Shika/tema too! To exlpain the poll, 55 people didn't vote, only 17 did but everyone got up to 4 choices so yeah...**

**Until I close the poll, here are the pairings this story is going to have...:**

**-Naruhina [This will never change so get used to it...]**

**-Temari/shikamaru...**

**-Matsuri/Gaara... [2nd favorite, don't know why though...]  
**

**-Kurenai/kakashi...**

**-FemHaku/Shino [May change if Sasuke decides to go after her *wink-wink*]**

**-Sakura/Sasuke [again... maybe...]**

**-Tenten/Neji...**

**There might also be Kushina/Zabuza but I'm still a little skeptical of that one... Tell me if I should or not...**

**Without further interruption, here's chapter 17...**

**Chapter 17: Time off before setting off part 1... yes there divided up, get over it...  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, now let it go!**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"I was able to convince Gaara to get ramen with me but told me he had plans with you and your brother. So I came here to ask both of you if you'd like to join us!" Naruto explained. Temari looked at him weirdly, then at Gaara, then at Naruto again._

_"Uhm..." Temari was at lost for words._

_"Count me out." Kankuro yelled from inside the room. Temari was about to deny as well but saw a look of need in Gaara's eyes. A look that told her he wanted her to go, as to not be alone with the blond kid. She sighed in defeat and nodded her head._

_"Sure, just let me get my shoes and we'll go." She said glumly but Naruto didn't notice._

_"Great!" Naruto said, as hyper as ever._

_"Great..." Gaara echoed, as passive as ever._

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto walked in front of Gaara and Temari who didn't want to walk a fast as Naruto was going. Temari couldn't understand how one person could get so excited over food, it seemed ridiculous.

"We're here!" Naruto yelled happily. Gaara and Temari looked at the building Naruto was standing in front of and sweat dropped when it wasn't as impressive as he made it seem. Temari then noticed the masked blond looking at the roof of a building right next to the ramen bar. He then jumped up to the roof and Gaara and Temari heard yelling and grunts.

Temari sighed as she closed her eyes.

_'Why the hell did I agree to come?'_ She thought to herself. Before she could react, a boy with brown hair fell right in front of her. He was looking up at the sky with a bored expression, trying to ignore the pain he felt from his fall.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru stated as he rolled to the side to avoid having Naruto fall on him. Naruto smiled at Shikamaru as both of them dusted themselves off.

"I gave you two options and you had to choose the hard one." Naruto said his mood still hyperactive. Shikamaru shook his head and put his hands in his pocket.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with, I got some clouds to watch." Shikamaru stated as he entered the ramen bar. Temari and Gaara gave Naruto a strange look, which caught his attention.

"I did say the more the merrier." He said as he walked into the ramen bar as well.

"This is going to be a long day." Gaara said, following Naruto and Shikamaru. Temari didn't move yet, she was wondering who exactly was the guy Naruto pushed off the roof. She shook it off and went inside the building to see Shikamaru sleeping on the counter, Gaara looking bored and Naruto fidgeting in his seat. Temari quietly made her way to the seat next to Shikamaru.

Normally, she would've sat next to Gaara but he was seating on the last seat to the right followed by Naruto and Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru wake up!" Naruto said while he slammed his hand down in front of Shikamaru's head. He grunted before lazily raising his head off the table and looking into space. Naruto waved his hand in front of Shikamaru but he didn't respond, well, technically not at first.

"Troublesome, I'm awake ok so you can stop doing that." Shikamaru told Naruto, making Naruto eye smile and wait for Ayame to get his order while she got Gaara's. Shikamaru looked to his left and saw Temari looking at him. He raised his eyebrow and she raised hers. Naruto in the meantime had given his order to Ayame.

"What?" Temari finally asked. Shikamaru shook his head.

"What are you looking at?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, what are you?" She asked with a smile. Shikamaru sighed.

"I'm a shinobi, what you've never seen one before. That's pretty sad." This angered Temari.

"I've seen some before, what you think I'm stupid?" She asked, her voice getting louder than it was before.

"How can I think when you're yelling at me?" Shikamaru replied.

"I'm not sure, by the looks of it, I'd doubt you've ever thought before now."

"You need to calm down, you're making a scene." Shikamaru said, his voice just as bored as ever. Temari looked up and saw Naruto scarfing down his ramen at an inhuman pace while Gaara was surprisingly eating just as fast as Naruto. Naruto looked at Gaara and saw that Gaara had finished before he had, his eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, Gaara reached over the counter and took his ramen and started to eat it as savagely as before.

"Hey..." Gaara glared at Naruto, making him stay quiet and pout over the loss of his ramen. Tears fell from his eyes. "My ramen..."

"Now I remember, I'm fighting you in the finals aren't I? This is really great, I get to kick your butt in about three weeks." Temari said, but Shikamaru just snorted.

"Believe what you want to but I'm not losing to a girl. It'd be too troublesome."

"What are you saying? That boys are better than girls?"

"I said no such thing, but now that you mention it, girls are more troublesome. They always have something to say and always want to have the last say. What a drag." Temari slapped Shikamaru behind his head and stood up. Shikamaru held his head and looked at Temari with his left eye closed and his right eye squinted.

"What was that for?"

"I don't appreciate what you just said about women. How about we find out just how troublesome a woman really is." Temari challenged.

"Just by doing this I already know." Shikamaru said, earning him another slap. "Hey..." Temari just scoffed, turned around and walked back to the hotel. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head and placed his head on the counter. "She might be troublesome but at least she's not as boring as the other girls in Konoha." Shikamaru's head shot up when Naruto slapped him behind his head.

"What the hell, first her and now you?" He asked in annoyance.

"Hinata-hime is not boring." Naruto simply stated as Ayame brought him another bowl of ramen only to be stolen by Gaara once again. Shikamaru sighed and called Ayame over, deciding to get some lunch before leaving to watch clouds.

[*.*.*.*]

Sakura was walking around Konoha, looking for who else? Of course, her precious Sasuke. She had been asking any and everyone if they had seen him but so far, she had no lead. She sighed hoping to find Sasuke and soon.

Lately, she had seen him less and less, making her think that he didn't want to see her anymore. She ignored those thoughts, she and Sasuke were destined to be together and nothing was going to keep them apart. Unknowingly, she walked into the forest and into the training spot team 7 usually went to. Sakura looked up when she heard someone grunt and saw Sasuke jumped back as a rain of Kunai raced to pierce him.

_'Sasuke-kun!'_ Sakura thought happily.

_**'Cha, he looks so hot!'**_ Inner-Sakura said. Sakura was about to walk into the clearing but stopped when she saw Haku running after Sasuke, senbon and kunai in hand. This got Sakura angry; no one was supposed to spend time with Sasuke except her.

"Ok, how about we take a break?" Haku said, making Sasuke get out of his fighting stance and nodded his head. He then took off his shirt and caught the towel Haku threw at him. Sakura felt a trickle of blood fall down her nose and she immediately brought her hand up to stop it from going down. The sweat on his muscular back and chest was driving Sakura insane.

She wasn't sure how she was going to do it but Sakura knew she had to get Sasuke to spend some alone time with her, if only for a while. An idea popped into Sakura's mind and she set to work to put it in action. She walked out of her hiding spot and slowly made her way to where Sasuke and Haku were.

Sasuke looked up at Sakura but didn't acknowledge her presence. He thought his fan girls were beneath girls like Haku, who was actually the best kunoichi he had ever met from their age group. Sakura, he placed at the bottom, right next to Ino. He knew his thoughts were cold and mean but it was his thoughts, he could think of whatever he want to think of.

"Uhm, Haku, Shino's looking for you." Sakura shyly stated. Haku looked at her suspiciously but nodded nonetheless.

"Let's train again tomorrow Sasuke; maybe by then you'll be able to avoid all my throws." Haku teased as she walked away from Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura looked down at Sasuke as he chugged down another bottle of water, throwing it to the side when he finished. He eyed Sakura, wondering what she wanted now, hoping against everything that she wasn't doing what he thought she was.

"Why are you still here, shouldn't you be training with your team or something. Just because you didn't make it to the finals doesn't mean you can slack off you know." Sasuke half asked her in a cold tone, hoping she would get the hint to buzz off.

"Uhm, I was just thinking that if you to, I can help you train." Sakura said nervously. She didn't know why she all of a sudden had doubts about it but she was determine to at least ask. Sasuke was about to deny but decided not to, just to see how weak Sakura actually was.

"Ok then, how about a small spar?" Sasuke proposed nonchalantly, but on the inside, he was smirking. Sakura thought it over and knew she would regret it later when she nodded.

Haku, meanwhile, found Shino in the deeper part of the forest she was in. How she found him was beyond her but she wasn't complaining. She walked up behind him and was about to tap his shoulder until she saw him concentrating on a branch that was on the ground.

"Excuse me but what are you looking at?" Haku asked, still trying to find out what Shino was looking at. Shino looked at Haku for a second before he continued to watch the branch.

"If you must know, I am looking for a rare species of insects that live near this area."

"So is that why you asked for me, to help you look for the rare bugs?" Shino looked back at her in honest confusion.

"I asked nothing of you."

"But Sakura came up to me a couple of minutes ago saying that you were looking for me."

"It appears that Haruno-san has tricked you, probably to spend time with the Uchiha." Shino told Haku, making her think about it and get angry over it.

"That little sneak... What is her problem?" Haku asked no one in particular.

"I think she is just trying to prove to the Uchiha that she would make an exceptional partner. Personally, I think she is wasting her time in gaining his affections as opposed to gaining the skills and knowledge needed for future events and challenges." Haku looked at Shino oddly.

"So you believe that following your heart is ridiculous when compared to training?" She asked him. Shino gave her a calculated stare. One wrong word and he just might have his head yanked off his shoulder courtesy of Haku.

"Please don't misinterpret my words. I simply mean that while she hopelessly goes after the Uchiha, she is wasting valuable time to get stronger. If the Uchiha had ever shown her an ounce of affection, maybe it would be different but that isn't the case. He has his own ambition he needs to fulfil and finding a life partner isn't part of his ambition; at least as far as I am concerned." Haku nodded her head, understanding what he meant… sort of.

"So what about you? Do you not want a life partner, do you think it'll only slow down your own ambitions?" Haku asked in genuine curiosity.

"I have no problem in gaining a life partner. The problem is I have not met an ideal female, not one that I'd consider to be interesting enough to be a potential partner." Shino answered. Haku placed her hands on her hips and smiled.

"I'm sorry to hear that Shino-kun but I'm sure you'll find someone eventually." Shino felt the insects in his body buzz a little. He shook off the feeling and made his bugs calm down.

"Thank you." Shino said and went back to his search. He then felt Haku tap his shoulder.

"I got nothing left to do now so I was wondering if you'd mind me helping you find the rare insect?" Haku asked. Shino thought over it and nodded, he didn't mind having some company from time to time. "Great, now what does it look like?" Shino explained what the bug looked like and after he finished, Haku nodded.

"Try looking for it about five meters north from here." Shino suggested. Haku nodded again and made her way to the spot Shino had suggested. Shino watched in interest as Haku's hips swayed while she walked. Shino stopped such thoughts from coming into his mind before it was too late.

"Haku... you are an interesting female." Shino said to himself, smiling at his words.

* * *

**I know it's short but I don't think a lot of people got an alert on the new chapter so I divided chapter 17 in half with chapter 18...**

**Check it out and good luck with whatever!**

**Oh yeah and review about the Naruto vs Gaara ramen thing, I want to know if it was funny or disappointing... thanks!  
**


	18. Time off before setting off part 2

**Hey, haha chapter 18, I guess...**

**so yeah, nothing new to add besides reading chapter 17 first... So have fun reading...**

**Chapter 19:Time off before setting off part 2 **

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"I got nothing left to do now so I was wondering if you'd mind me helping you find the rare insect?" Haku asked. Shino thought over it and nodded, he didn't mind having some company from time to time. "Great, now what does it look like?" Shino explained what the bug looked like and after he finished, Haku nodded._

_"Try looking for it about five meters north from here." Shino suggested. Haku nodded again and made her way to the spot Shino had suggested. Shino watched in interest as Haku's hips swayed while she walked. Shino stopped such thoughts from coming into his mind before it was too late._

_"Haku... you are an interesting female." Shino said to himself, smiling at his words._

[*.*.*.*]

Neji grunted as he parried off another barrage of kunai and shurikens thrown by his teammate Tenten with a jutsu he just learn from one of his family's scroll.

"Again!" Neji shouted, but Tenten shook her head.

"We need to take a break, if we don't it'll only hurt us in the long run." Tenten told him, much to his displeasure. Neji nodded and walked over to Tenten who was drinking from her canteen. She then grabbed his and tossed it to him. He opened it up and drank from it, expelling all the water out of it.

"If you don't take it easy Neji-kun, you just might drown." Tenten said with a laugh. Neji put his canteen down and glared at her. "Don't give me that look, I was only kidding. Seriously Neji, sometimes you need to relax."

"I'm sorry Tenten but I need to get stronger quickly. Now come on, the break was long enough, let's get back to work." Neji didn't even let her have a say in it as he walked over to the spot he was in before.

If she were honest with herself, Tenten would say she was about to collapse from exhaustion. They have been training for what seemed like day on end and she was starting to get sick of Neji's attitude. She would never admit it but she really liked Neji, especially before he got the completely arrogant personality.

Lately though, Neji had been starting to get on her nervs, and she was on the brink of snapping at him. She didn't though, because she didn't want to lose the bond she had formed with the Hyuga prodigy.

"Tenten come on, don't just stand there like an idiot." Neji yelled, snapping Tenten from her thoughts and hurting her feelings.

"I-Idiot? What do you mean by that Neji?"

"It's nothing..." Neji replied but was interrupted by Tenten.

"No Neji, it's not nothing, it's a something alright. You think I'm an idiot don't you?" Tenten knew she was overreacting but she was tired and a bit irrational at the moment so she didn't really care.

"No of course not. Though you do seem to get easily distracted sometimes when we train together." Neji stated. Normally, Tenten wouldn't think much of what Neji said and let it go but something told her to keep fighting.

"How dare you say that to me! I have done nothing but helped you become stronger, become better than the day before, and here you tell me I am easily distracted. Do you ever hear yourself when you speak Neji or do you just say whatever first comes to mind?" Tenten yelled.

"Maybe you should sit down Tenten, you're getting irrational and I don't need more problems." That was it, the straw that broke the camel's back.

"I'm a problem to you Neji? I'm a burden to you? Is that all I am to you. I try to help you but all I'm really doing is hold you back? You know what, FINE!" Tenten went to get her stuff from the edge of the clearing. When she got them, she marched back in front of Neji and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I won't burden you anymore Neji, hope you get stronger, just like you want." Tears fell down Tenten's face and she raised her hand to slap Neji but he stopped it.

"Tenten please calm down. I'm not at fault here." Tenten couldn't even look at him anymore.

"You know what you're problem is Neji? You blame every one for the mistakes and problems you cause and the worst part is... you're too proud to see that it's your fault."

"Tenten stop..."

"No Neji, I won't stop. You know it's true..."

"I'm warning you..."

"What, you're get mad at me for being right?"

"Tenten."

"Admit it I am..." She couldn't even finish and was shocked to feel pain sting her left cheek. A second after Neji realized what he did, he stared at his right hand and then at Tenten's slightly red left cheek.

"Tenten, I-I didn't... I didn't mean to..." Tenten just stood and ran home, her tears flying off her cheek. Neji just watched her leave, shocked and disappointed in himself. He couldn't believe what he had just done, he had no control over his own actions, it wasn't his fault... But he knew whose fault it was.

"Naruto." Neji said lowly as he went to look for him.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto sighed as he swung on the swing he was on. It was nine in the night and he was bored out of his mind. He had three hours until he was leaving with Hinata and Itachi and he had nothing to do. Hinata was, well doing whatever she did when she wasn't around him. He felt alone when she wasn't around and this was one of the times when he wished he could teleport to her side.

Suddenly, a chakra powered palm headed its way to Naruto's chest. Instincts and impulses developed from years of training kicked in and he rolled back off the swing, dodging the attack. He flipped back a couple of times and looked up to see Hinata smiling at him.

"Uh... what was that for?" He asked.

"I was bored." She said coyly. Naruto heard it and wondered what that was about.

"Really now? So am I, what should we do about this?" Naruto said as he walked over to Hinata. Hinata wrapped one arm around his neck and went into a modified thinking pose. With her other hand, she placed her index finger over her bottom lip and started tracing it. Naruto licked his lips as Hinata's finger took another lap around her luscious lips. He now knew what he wanted to do.

"I'm not sure, do you have anything in mind?" She asked. Naruto nodded slowly and Hinata smiled before fanning herself. "It's a bit hot don't you think?" She said as she took off her jacket, making Naruto's eyes almost pop out of their sockets when he saw what she wore under it. She wore a small lavender spaghetti shirt that made her breast look slightly bigger than what Naruto remembered they were... not that he looked there or anything.

Hinata giggled when she saw some drool coming from the corner of Naruto's mouth. She turned her back against him while looking at him. She placed her hands on her hips and swayed a bit.

"Do you like what you see?" Hinata asked seductively. She saw that Naruto wasn't going to make a move for some time so she placed her hand under his chin and made him nod.

"You're so good to me Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered, driving Naruto crazy. She took two steps forward while Naruto followed after her. She turned around to face him, took some steps back and moved her index finger back and forth as to tell him to follow her.

Naruto complied and followed her until she was no farther away than two centimeters. She then wrapped both arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes, making her face get closer to his. As soft lavender eyes stared into azure ones, Hinata could see that she had Naruto wrapped around her finger. Naruto on the other hand saw something in Hinata's eyes that he was sure wasn't there before; lust.

"Please Na-ru-to-kun." She whispered coyly with emphasis in his name, removing his mask slowly with her soft, petite hands. Naruto felt like he was about to exploded or imploded, which ever was bound to happen. He gave up the battle against his hormones and let his desires take over his body. He placed both arms around her waist and kissed her softly. He then felt Hinata's tongue ask for entrance and he let her in, letting her taste him before he returned the favor.

Hinata let go of his neck and placed both hands on his chest, then let them fall to the bottom of his shirt. Before Naruto knew what she was planning, Hinata put her hands under his shirt and touched his abs. She smiled when she felt him tense under her touch and then giggled. She had found out Naruto's weakness and was going to exploit it!

Naruto, not wanting to be out done, put his hands under Hinata's shirt and started to do what she did to him, he felt her smooth stomach. He smiled when she too tensed and even shivered. What he wasn't expecting was Hinata to place one of her hands over one of his and move it upward until it was over her breast.

Naruto blushed a dark shade of red but still felt the fine silk that was Hinata's bra. His smile widened when he heard her moan under his touch. Soon, his left hand joined the other and assaulted both breast as he broke the kiss and started to kiss her neck. Naruto enjoyed hearing Hinata gasp and didn't let up. His kisses trailed lower until he reached her collar bone, making Hinata wrap her arms around his head and moan again.

Naruto suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder as he look up and saw a confused Hinata. It seemed odd to Hinata to find Naruto sitting on a swing alone while he stared into space and let drool fall out of the corner of his mouth. Naruto looked to his left, right, above, below and behind before he realize what happened. He growled and grabbed his hair.

_'It was a day dream... stupid Ero-sennin and his influence!'_ He thought.

"Naruto-kun, are you ok?" She asked. Naruto nodded his head.

"Yeah Hinata-hime, I'm ok. I was just having another day dream, that's all." Hinata smiled and sat down on the swing next to him.

"What about?" Naruto flinched and wondered if he should tell her.

"Oh you know; the usual. Speaking of which..." Naruto held her hand in his and lightly kissed it. "You look cute with angel wings." Hinata blushed at his compliment and he couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on his mouth.

"So, what brings you here?" Naruto asked as he let go of Hinata's hand and looked up at the night sky. He felt a slight breeze pass by and sighed contently.

"I was bored so I came looking for you." She said nonchalantly. Naruto eye smiled at her and she smiled back. Naruto then swung back and then forward, repeating this action until he was pretty high on the swing. Hinata also followed after Naruto and was as high as he was. They both laughed loudly as both tried not to be out done by the other. Finally, Naruto jumped off his swing and landed perfectly on his feet.

"And I thought only cats landed on their feet, now foxes too?" Hinata asked playfully, Naruto replied by sticking his tongue out at her. She retorted by sticking her own tongue out at him, Naruto laughed at this.

"Yeah well I know you can't do it." Naruto said, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his back on her. Hinata acknowledged the challenge.

"Really?" She asked as she prepared to jump off. Naruto looked back at her and smiled. Hinata jumped off the swing and was about to land on the ground feet first but then Naruto appeared in her way. She wanted to move but it was too late. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

Naruto shifted off his left foot and turned around, simultaneously moving out of Hinata's way and catching her bridal style. Hinata slowly opened her eyes and saw Naruto eye smiling at er.

"Told ya you couldn't do it." Hinata registered his words and then glared at him. "Don't give me that face, you know it's true, that's why you're in my arms instead of standing on the floor." Hinata's glared intensified and then she jumped off him. When Hinata was on her feet, she scoffed at Naruto, placed her hands on her hips and turned her back on him. Naruto sighed with a smile and walked over to Hinata. He placed his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"Oh it's going to like that is it?" Hinata didn't answer, she just kept looking away. Naruto nodded and wrapped her in a tight hug, putting his chin on her shoulder and closing his eyes. "It'll be hard to not talk to me when I'm this close you know."

"I know." Hinata said from across the park. Naruto looked back and saw Hinata waving at him without her jacket. What she was wearing wasn't as revealing as the one she wore in his dream, she had a dark lavender shirt on. Naruto looked at what he was hugging and saw a log wearing Hinata's jacket. He released the log and faced Hinata.

"I'll get you for that one." Naruto said but Hinata just smiled a bright smile.

"You can try." Hinata said as she ran into the forest with Naruto in tow. Hinata did have the advantage of having the all-seeing Byakugan but Naruto had an advantage as well; he knew this forest like the back of his hand.

Naruto lept up to the highest tree near him and then leapt off it, looking for Hinata on his way down. He saw her standing still about ten meters in front of him. He smiled a smile that only a predator would smile after finding his prey. As he fell, grabbed on a branch and swung off it, landing on the branch in front of it and finally jumping to the ground. He quietly made his way to Hinata and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Got ya." Naruto said but saw that Hinata was unresponsive. He looked at her and saw that she was frowning. Naruto looked at what she was looking at and saw Tenten crying across from them. Naruto started to walk over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She flinched and looked up, her eyes held fear and sadness that he knew all too well.

"Tenten, are you ok?" Tenten rubbed her eyes, wiping her tears as well. She smiled at Naruto but Naruto didn't buy it.

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"You're lying." Hinata said behind Naruto. Tenten gasped, she didn't know Hinata was there as well. When her eyes connected with Hinata's, she looked away, her eyes reminding her of Neji's.

"So what? What do you care, what does any Hyuga care?" Tenten said with malice and hate. Hinata flinched back.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"If you know what's good for you, you might want to leave Hinata before she breaks your heart." Tenten said, looking Naruto straight in the eyes. She saw Naruto about to say something but she didn't let him. "All Hyugas will eventually turn on you and break your heart. If one does it, why not all?" That stopped Naruto cold.

"Is this about Neji?" Hinata questioned. Tenten glared at her but Naruto came between her and Hinata.

"Don't glare at Hinata-chan like that or at all. She hasn't done anything to you, only came here to help you." Tenten abruptly stood and eyed Naruto.

"Now she wants to help but who knows about later. How many times has she hit you Naruto? How many times has she hurt you?" She asked with tears in her eyes, her voice breaking. She tried to intimidate Naruto but he didn't back down. He narrowed his eyes.

"Never..." Naruto said lowly.

"Wait, Neji hit you?" Hinata asked, shock evident in her voice and expression. Tenten looked at her before looking away. Hinata shook her head, not wanting to believe what she heard. Hinata knew Neji grew cold after his father died but she didn't want to believe Neji had stooped so low.

"Yes, he did. He hit me when we were arguing." Naruto looked down, shadows covering his eyes and he was shaking with fury.

"That scum." Naruto said angrily.

"Naruto-kun..." Naruto looked at Hinata and she saw his eyes go red and his pupil being replaced with slits.

"I'm going after him Hinata-chan and don't you try to stop me." Naruto growled and started to walk out of the clearing.

"Sorry kid but we don't have time to deal with this." Naruto looked at a tree in front of him and saw Jiraiya leaning against the tree with his arms crossed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean that we gotta go, as in right now. You-know-who is waiting for us now; he has to leave early so he could keep up with his target." Jiraiya answered vaguely. Naruto and Hinata knew what he was talking about but Naruto shook his head.

"Since when are you going?"

"Well it's not like you can go without me, you'd be breaking a major rule. Without me, you would have no authority to go and would be severely punished." Naruto grunted but nodded all the same. He looked at Hinata as she walked over to Tenten.

"I know you probably don't trust me right now but you need to go home right now. It's late and your parents are probably worried about you." Tenten nodded and started to head home, Hinata walking over to Naruto. She stopped when she was to the left of Naruto.

"Thank you for worrying about me... and I'm sorry I got mad at you Hinata." Tenten said, earning a nod from both Hinata and Naruto.

"Ok, now that that's over with, how about you two get your things and meet me at the front gates." Jiraiya didn't wait for them to answer as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Come on Hinata-hime, I already spent too much time apart from you and I don't need a reminder of how that feels like. Besides, I have a few things to explain to you about traveling with Ero-sennin." Naruto told Hinata.

"You shouldn't call him that Naruto-kun, it's very disrespectful. He's a sannin for kami's sake." Hinata scolded but Naruto smiled as he pulled his mask down.

"Maybe but I know you'll change your tune after this trip." Naruto gave Hinata a quick peck on her lips and he placed an arm on her shoulder as they walked to Hinata's house. "You see, Ero-sennin is a complicated man..."

* * *

**PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME!**

**I really didn't want Neji doing what he did to Tenten, I really didn't, the pairing's cool with me, I like Neji/Ten and it's roughly my fourth favorite pairing...  
**

**The thing is that he was an a*s before and during the chunin exams until Naruto kicked the arrogance out of him... Neji will be a good guy, just not right now and won't be until maybe a little after the invasion, maybe before, which ever is better... So yeah, be patient with me...**

**Anyways, leave a review telling me how you like the story so far, I'd really appreciate some support and feedback!**

**So, chapter 19 is probably being written as you read this but don't expect this for another week...**

**Next Chapter: While they're gone...**

**_**[Just want to point out, chapter titles may vary depending on how that chapter turns out... 90% chance that the chapter title will be same but just a small heads up...]_  
**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	19. While they're gone

**Hey, Angelito Soldado [as far as you know...] is here! =]...**

**Just so you know, I'm taking down the old poll [find out story pairing at bottom] and replacing it with a new one that involves this story [see full details at bottom]...**

**I'd like to thank all who reviewed so far cuz I probably wouldn't have gotten this far without the encouragement from you and your reviews... I also want to ask to anyone who's reading this: Is it really that hard to write "Good job" or "Nice chapter" or maybe even more?**

**I know I'm b*tching about this but really, it boggles my mind that it's really that hard to type some words of encouragement...**

**Anyways, not much I can do about that and please don't take what I write at the bottom at face value... Just some sh*t I'm trying to get over and it helps to do this, or so I heard...  
**

**So enjoy chapter 19 cuz it might be the last one for a long while, maybe...**

**Chapter 19: While they're gone...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...**

***Last thing... when you see "-" - this, that means a few minutes have passed while "[*.*.*.*]" - means a lot of time has passed or a change in POV/setting...  
**

_

* * *

_

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"Come on Hinata-hime, I already spent too much time apart from you and I don't need a reminder of how that feels like. Besides, I__have a few things to explain to you about traveling with Ero-sennin." Naruto told Hinata._

_"You shouldn't call him that Naruto-kun, it's very disrespectful. He's a sannin for kami's sake." Hinata scolded but Naruto smiled as he pulled his mask down._

_"Maybe but I know you'll change your tune after this trip." Naruto gave Hinata a quick peck on her lips and he placed an arm on her shoulder as they walked to Hinata's house. "You see, Ero-sennin is a complicated man..."_

[*.*.Next day.*.*]

Neji slammed his palm into the wooden dummy in a vacant training spot. He had been searching for the masked blond headache only to be told that he left with Hinata and an important person on an S-ranked mission. Using his misplaced aggression, Neji hit the wooden dummy once more with an unnecessary amount of force, completely obliterating it.

He panted as he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't believe he was letting the blond idiot get to him like he was right now. It irked him how easily Naruto was able to upset him and not only him, Hinata too. She had to get together with Naruto, as merry as could be without a care in the world. He worked hard for the many things he had and accomplished instead of accepting them in a silver platter like Hinata did.

Moving on to the new dummy to obliterate, Neji saw a figure watching him from above a tree to the left of him.

"I know you're there, come out of hiding now before I attack." Neji said loudly enough to the person watching him could hear. The person took the hint and walked into the clearing, smiling a crooked smile. Neji could see that the silver haired stranger held some ill will towards something but tried to cover it with the smile.

"I see I've been caught; not as sly as I thought I was." Takeo said as he rubbed the back of his head. Neji eyed Takeo suspiciously before continuing his training.

"State your business; if you have nothing to say that is of any importance then leave now." Neji stated calmly while slamming another palm against the dummy.

"Ok, I can see you're very busy so I'll make this quick. I have a proposition for you." Takeo said with a fox like smile sliding across his lips. Neji stopped hitting the dummy to look at Takeo.

"What sort of proposition?"

"The sort that could help avenge your fallen pride against that annoyance that goes by the name of Naruto." Neji cocked an eye brow in interest.

"I'm listening..." He said. Takeo smirk grew.

"All that is required of you is to attack Naruto with the intent to kill at my command."

"It seems to me that you are only doing this to avoid your fight with Uzumaki. Are you afraid of him?" Neji asked mockingly.

"Ha, that's a good one. I do not fear him but he is in the way of my plans and sadly, I can only be in so many places at once." Takeo replied nonchalantly.

"I still see no reason to partake in this deal." Neji retorted, about to resume his training but Takeo chuckled.

"That Hyuga girl, Hinata, she seems annoy you does she not?" Neji gave him a calculating stare.

"What of it?"

"Well if Naruto is occupied dealing with you, it'll leave her undefended against any opposing threats. I will simply make her go away, never to be seen again in your life. Again, all you have to do is fight Naruto for me and this could all be done – a very small price to pay, wouldn't you agree?" Neji looked at the ground for a second. It was a very tempting offer and the fact that he'd be able to rid two birds with one stone was very convincing as well. He looked back up to see Takeo hold a hand out to him.

"Is it agreed?" Neji looked at the hand before hesitantly shaking it.

"Agreed." Neji watched as Takeo's smirk changed into a sinister smile, all the while feeling as if he had just made a deal with the devil.

In the distance, Tenten couldn't believe what she was witnessing.

_'Neji, what happened to you?'_

[*.*.*.*]

Shikamaru lazily sat on the grass in an empty training spot, looking up at the clouds and doing absolutely nothing. He sigh in relief and enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with cloud watching. He found it odd that the village was quieter than it usually was but he guessed it had something to do with Naruto leaving the village to train.

His attention was immediately grabbed by something in the far distance walking into the distance. He lifted his head to see a blond look at him. Shikamaru groaned as he let his head fall to the ground.

_'Why is it that trouble always seems to follow me?'_ Said trouble walked over to Shikamaru and smiled. She hadn't forgotten what he said to her the day before and now it was time for some pay back.

"Well If it isn't lazy-kun, how's it going?" She asked too sweetly for Shikamaru's taste. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore her but she had other ideas. Temari grabbed the fan on her back and hung it over Shikamaru's stomach by about seven inches. Satisfied with the height, Temari let it go and watched as a pained expression crossed Shikamaru's face.

"UGh!" All the wind was knocked out of the Nara and Temari laughed as she watched him roll around the ground, trying to recover from the pain he felt in his mid-section. "What the hell's your problem?" Shikamaru said after catching his breath. Temari scoffed, placed her hands on her hips and looked away.

"Payback's a bitch isn't it?" Temari said coldly. It didn't take long for Shikamaru to connect two and two together and he sighed.

"Troubleso..." He didn't finish as a sharp wind was headed his way. He jumped back and saw Temari with her fan one third of the way open.

"Say that word one more time and I will make sure this will be the last time you'll be able to say it." Temari threatened. Shikamaru, being the smart yet lazy shinobi everyone saw him as, would've remained quiet, sat back down, and let it be. This girl though, made something clicked deep inside him and he decided to do something else. He regrettably opened his mouth and spoke out the first syllable of his favorite word.

"Trou..." Temari's eyes widened when he said this.

"Don't..."

...blesome." Temari picked up her fan and swung it full force, letting a strong gust of wind head towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru ducked behind the nearest tree and grabbed his head.

_'What the hell is wrong with me?'_ No more thinking was allowed as Temari prepared another swing after locating him

"You're not getting away that easily!" She yelled and swung her fan once more. Shikamaru gulped, wondering what he got himself into.

The training ground was completely destroyed as a result of Temari's temper and attack on Shikamaru. She didn't exactly know why she attacked it, it just annoyed her when he used that word on her. She looked around, not seeing her primary target.

Shikamaru appeared from behind a fallen tree, looked at the collateral damage the insane Suna kunoichi had caused. He chuckled a bit when he saw her looking at him while also surveying the damage.

"Are you still angry or are you..." He ducked under a precisely thrown kunai. "Are you done?" Temari sighed as she let all of her remaining aggression go.

"Yeah." Shikamaru stood up straight before turning his back on her and falling to the ground face up. He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. Temari slowly walked up to him and hovered over him with a questioning gaze.

"You'd really turn your back on me after all we've been through?" She asked but Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure you wouldn't attack me, at least, not at the moment. You've already relieved yourself of your aggression and I see no reason to not trust you. After all, Naruto seems to trust you and your brother, so I have no reason not to." Shikamaru closed his eyes and snuggled deeper into the ground. Temari was surprised by his reasoning.

_'This boy never ceases to confuse me...'_Temari shrugged as well as she sat down a few feet away from Shikamaru, looking up at the sky. Shikamaru opened his left eye, only to close it again and sigh.

"I guess you're not leaving huh?"

"Nope."

"Troublesome." Temari glared at him.

"Did you learn nothing from what just happened?" Temari said, trying to push down her rising anger. Shikamaru smiled and chuckled.

"Yeah, that I should watch what I saw when I'm near you and that old habits die hard." Temari looked at him incredulous. Soon she noticed that his breathing seemed to relax and he was suddenly very quiet. She guessed he was asleep so she let him be, for now.

Temari kept looking at Shikamaru, something that bothered her. She didn't why but this boy was a mystery to her. Aside from him, Gaara and Naruto, she'd been able to read every guy. Shikamaru though was the worst of the three, not only had he been able to confuse her, but also seemed to know what move she'd make before she even thought of it. This boy was different, someone who actually challenged her, both mentally and physically. She knew she was in for a fight of her life when it came to their fight.

Temari sighed as she placed her hands behind her head and laid back. She smiled at one last thought before sleeping as well.

_'It doesn't hurt that he's cute.'_

[*.*.*.*]

A lone girl walked through the deserted streets of her home village, hugging the books in her hand as another cold breeze passed her. Her black eyes were dull and void of all emotion save sadness and solitude. She looked up occasionally to make sure she was heading in the right direction, but other than that, her short, light brown hair covered her eyes from any, and every person that passed her.

Today was the day she had grown to hate, despise and mourn. For today was the day her parents were killed so many years ago, right in front of her eyes. Because she was old enough, the village's council allowed her to live in her own apartment, instead of an orphanage.

She was thirteen but still an academy student only because they just started the new Academy two years ago. She rejected the idea of becoming a ninja at first but then figured that she might as well since her best friend Sari was attending as well. During the time, she had met a stoic boy with red hair. He's eyes were cold and unfeeling but she couldn't help but feel a sort of connection with him, whether it a serious one or not.

One day, she tried to talk to the boy but one of her newer friends stopped her. She remembered her words quite well...

_"Don't go over there." Her friend warned._

_"Why not, he looks alone and sad."_

_"You probably don't know this but he holds the one tailed demon Shukaku. If you go over to him, he'll probably kill you on the spot." Her friend told her, making her go wide-eyed and keep looking at him. "You can still go but I just thought I should tell you."_

The girl let a mirthless chuckle escape her lips, her friends were mostly thick headed and not very opened minded. She remembered the first time she spoke to the red haired boy.

_The red haired boy looked up from eating his lunch and saw the brown haired girl looking nervously at the ground._

_"What is it you want?" Gaara said in his usual monotone voice._

_"I-I was just wondering, i-if you'd like some c-company?" The girl asked meekly, making Gaara's eyebrow rise. The girl took it as a negative so she turned around. "O-Ok, maybe some other time." She said quickly before heading to her other friends. Her heart was beating furiously, sad that she wasn't eating with Gaara, but content that she had at least asked. Gaara just watched her leave in honest confusion before categorizing it as nothing and continuing his lunch._

A louder mirthless laugh escaped the girl's lips as she entered her empty apartment. That was a year ago, before he graduated and was placed in a team with his siblings. She, however, decided to take one last year in the academy, just to be safe. She threw her schoolbooks on the couch while taking off her black boots that went above the knee, tan cloak and teal long sleeve shirt. She walked over to the picture of her parents and smiled a sad smile as some tears escaped from their imprisonment. She hugged the picture and then placed it back where it was.

She fell on top of her bed in only her undergarments and let sleep consume her. Before she could sleep however, she thought of how Gaara was doing and if he was ok. She slowly closed her eyes and felt her body grow heavy. She didn't resist as her last conscious thoughts disappeared and she left the real world, instead sinking into her dreams.

[*.*.*.*]

"Kakashi, where's Naruto?" Kakashi turned around sharply at the sound of an angry woman. Unfortunately, for him at least, it was Kushina, who had a stoic expression on her face despite her voice dripping in anger and impatience, but he knew that could change in a couple of seconds. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and eye smiled.

"Well he left the village with Hinata... _and Jiraiya._" He told her, hoping that she didn't hear the last part. Alas, it was not meant to be, as her anger reared its ugly head.

"WHAT?" She yelled, her yell being heard all over the village. Everyone cowered when they heard the yell, remembering what had happened to the fourth after they heard that same yell. It wasn't pretty.

"Kushina, please calm down." But Kushina was having none of that. She grabbed Kakashi by his collar and brought his face close to hers.

"Calm down? Calm down? My son and his girlfriend left the village with the biggest pervert of all time and you want me to calm down? Do have any idea what could happen if they spend so much time together under that perverts influence?" She couldn't see it, but Kakashi sported a light blush on his face when he imagined what sort of influence Jiraiya could have on the two lovers.

"I-I see your point but there's not much we can do now. Jiraiya got permission from the Hokage himself to take the two and train them. He was very vague about it but that's the gist of it." Kakashi explained. Kushina scowled but let Kakashi go, seeing that it would be pointless to just attack him, though it was tempting.

"So I heard you're not training my son. The hell is that about?" Kushina said in a calm but still angered voice.

"Like I told your son, I have to train Sasuke so that Gaara kid doesn't destroy him like he almost destroyed Lee." Kushina gave Kakashi a levelled glare.

"What about the opponent my son's facing? He was able to defeat Hinata easily, and the only reason he didn't _successfully_ kill her was because my son interfered before it got worse. My son could be in her place, and who knows if anyone will make it in time, let alone at all considering who he carries inside of him." Kushina grabbed Kakashi again, bring him down to eye level. "I hope you got your priorities properly straightened out, because if my son dies due to your reflectance then you will join him soon enough. Got that?" Kakashi gulped loudly and nodded his head nervously.

"Now, show me where my son lives, I have a little surprise for him when he comes back."

Kakashi didn't say much after that, leading her to Naruto's house. His thoughts preoccupied him on his way there so he didn't say much to Kushina; his mind instead rampant with thoughts of unease._ 'Do I have my priorities straight?'_ After Kakashi left Kushina at Naruto's house. He went to the only place he knew Sasuke would be, at their team's training spot near the Memorial Stone. It didn't take long to find the young Uchiha running and dodging senbon and kunai. Intrigued by the spar, Kakashi sat back on a tree to watch how well his student's evasion skill was.

Kakashi was impressed when not a single senbon hit him. Haku seemed to being tiring and so did Sasuke, but he didn't look as winded as Haku. Being a Chunin, Kakashi had no responsibilities over Haku now that she wasn't on the team anymore though he had to wonder if he had been neglecting her too.

Having seen enough, Kakashi walked into the training spot and let his presence be known.

"Yo." Sasuke and Haku stopped their spar and looked at Kakashi as he waved at them.

"Hey." They both said at the same time, making Sasuke smirk and Haku laugh. Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at their antics but decided to question it later.

"Come on Sasuke, we got to go. I gave you at least three days to rest but now we need to get serious." Sasuke nodded his head and headed for his house. "Don't forget to meet me at the front gate."

Without looking back, Sasuke waved at him. Kakashi watched him go before giving his attention to Haku, who was looking at him. She ground her foot into the ground for a moment before looking up at him. "So Hatake-san..."

"Kakashi is good Haku."

She nodded and continued. "Kakashi-san, have you seen Naruto or Hinata?"

"They left the village last night with Jiraiya so they could train. Why do you ask?"

Haku shook her head and smiled. "No reason. I'll be off Kakashi-san, see you later." Haku walked off to the deeper part of the forest they were in. Kakashi wondered where she was headed as he walked off in a random direction, not really caring where he was headed.

"Today has been an odd day to say the least." He thought aloud.

[*.*.*.*]

Sakura held her back as she headed for her home to rest. Yesterday's spar with Sasuke was brutal, but in the end she was glad; she had at least shown him that she wasn't as weak as he thought she was.

_"Guess you're not as weak as I thought."_

Her mind had been like a broken record for the entire day; repeating his words to her repeatedly, bringing her a feeling inner joy and self-accomplishment. Today she had asked her sensei to teach her about genjutsu and how to use them. Since she lacked physical strength to be good in taijutsu and lacked the necessary chakra reserves to pull off a high ranked jutsu, she settled with genjutsu. Luckily for her, her sensei was a master of that.

Kurenai watched her student slowly head for home as she smiled. It seemed to her that Sakura was starting to get serious about the whole ninja thing. Kurenai knew Sakura needed a lot more practice to even be considered a novice in genjutsu but she was getting there. All she needed now was more encouragement and the drive to continue.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi walking on the other side of the street in deep thought. Kurenai was curious as to what got the usually laid-back ninja to think so deeply. She walked after him and, after catching up to him, tapped his shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh! Kurenai, I didn't see you, what's up?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow at Kakashi's sad attempt to act casual.

"You know very well that doesn't work on me." Kakashi's only visible eye widened before he relaxed.

"Right, I guess since it works on Gai and almost all the others I thought it'd work on you."

"Sorry, no such luck. So what's bothering you?" She asked. Kakashi looked away, debating whether to tell her or not. With a defeated sigh, Kakashi explained.

"Well you see, a couple of days ago I told Naruto that I would train Sasuke so he wouldn't get killed by the Gaara kid. He got mad at me when he heard this, and told me I was neglecting him and that he didn't need the replacement I got for him. It got even worse when he asked if I got one for Hinata. From then on, he just called me out and left. I thought of it as nothing more than misplaced anger so I shrugged it off. Today though, I ran into Kushina. She asked me if I had seen Naruto, and when I told her he left with Jiraiya, she freaked out..."

"Wait, you mean the sannin Jiraiya?" Kurenai asked, earning a nod from Kakashi. "Why would she be mad about that?"

"Let's just say that her history with him is not a good one." Kurenai nodded in understanding. "Anyways, she then asked me why I wasn't training her son and I told her about Sasuke. She retorted by telling me that the Kumo nin he was going to face could kill him as well and if he died, I would be next.

"Now it isn't her threat that has me thinking, it's the fact that she is right. Hinata was almost killed if it wasn't for Naruto and yet I still only thought of Sasuke. Naruto's going to have his hands full with that Takeo kid and I am of no help. Worse is that now he doesn't even trust me.

"I was just wondering if I had handled the situation the wrong way." Kakashi looked down at Kurenai and saw that she was thinking.

"I see your problem. While I can't condone your actions, I know you did them out of care for you student. Luckily for you, someone else had taken Naruto in and is preparing him for his fight with Takeo. It'll take a lot on your part to gain Naruto's trust back. No amount of jutsu and power will be able to convince him. Hinata is probably hurt by this but won't hold it against you though I am sure she will side with Nartuo, seeing as they do have a stronger bond than you have with her." Kurenai paused to think again.

"So what do you suggest I do?" Kakashi asked. After a moment of silence, Kurenai spoke again.

"It's too late to change much but whenever you get the chance, you have to face the issue head on, whether you want to or not." Kurenai walked past him. "I really can't tell you what to do but I'd be careful with what I'd do from now on if I were you." Kurenai waved at him as she continued to walk. Kakashi watched her leave his vision and sighed.

"I hate it when that woman's right." Kakashi smiled under his mask as he headed for the front gates of the village, thinking of the Genjutsu mistress who had just helped him, if only a little.

[*.*.*.*]

Four cloaked ninjas stopped on top of a mountain and stood before Kumogakure, one ninja releasing a large amount of killing intent. The shortest of the four placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and his killing intent evaporated.

"Naruto-kun, are you sure you're ok with coming back here?" Hinata asked worriedly. Naruto sighed but smiled nonetheless.

"Yeah, it'll just take some getting used to." Naruto looked at Itachi. "So Itachi-sensei, what'll we be doing for the rest of the month?" Itachi closed his eyes. He opened them again to look at Hinata.

"Hinata will be training on her ninjutsu. While the Hyuga clan's techniques are quite useful and very deadly, it is foolish to rely on it alone. I will teach her elemental jutsus after we find out her affinity. This is to ensure that she has something to fall on in case her Byakugan fails her." Hinata nodded and bowed. Itachi looked at Naruto, and Naruto couldn't help but notice Itachi's smirk, even though it lasted for less than a millisecond.

"You, Naruto, will be working on your speed and strength." Itachi knew what was coming next, so did everyone else who knew Naruto well.

"What? But I'm already fast and strong!" Naruto whined.

"That may be true but it is only because you pump chakra into your arms and legs. I want you to be fast and strong without relying too much on chakra. We all know you have an unprecedented amount of chakra but that is no excuse to just waste chakra. I want you to be able to keep up with me by the end of this month, if not then I will teach you nothing else until you can." Itachi explained.

"Ok fine, I get it, but what about jutsus? Can't I learn more?" Jiraiya put Naruto in a headlock and rubbed his knuckle on top of his head.

"Of course, did you forget about the rasengan?" Naruto escaped Jiraiya's hold and looked at him unbelieving.

"Y-You were serious?" Jiraiya got a mock hurt expression on his face.

"You thought I was joking? I am insulted Naruto. I gave you my word that I'd teach you this jutsu and I'm sticking to it." Jiraiya told him, his voice dripping with mock dissapointment.

"You don't have to patronize me." Naruto said, looking away and crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well get over it; I said I'd train you and that's what am going to do. You better be ready for it because it took the Fourth Hokage three years to create the rasengan." Jiraiya held up three fingers in front of Naruto as he said this. Naruto looked at him with widened eyes. Hinata was also in shock, wondering how difficult the rasengan really was. Naruto's incredulous expression left him and was replaced instead with certainty and faith.

"I bet I'll be able to pull it off before we head back to Konoha." Naruto assured, puffing his chest out and slamming his fist down on it. Itachi sighed and started walking into Kumo. Jiraiya laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Sure kid, I'll believe it when I see it." Jiraiya then followed after Itachi, leaving Hinata alone with Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, do you really think you'll be able to pull it off in such a short amount of time?" Naruto looked to where Itachi and Jiraiya had gone to make sure they weren't looking. When he was sure they weren't, he slouched forward with his head down.

"I'm not sure Hinata-chan." Hinata giggled at him and grabbed his hand.

"I'm sure you will. You're Naruto-kun, you make the impossible happen." She said softly as she walked after Jiraya and Itachi with Naruto in tow.

"Maybe, I sure hope so."

"I know so." Hinata assured with a smile. Naruto smiled as well and nodded. He hugged Hinata from behind and kissed her in the cheek.

"You always know what to say Hinata-hime." Hinata blushed but returned the hug.

* * *

**So that's pretty much it... A short filler chapter to clue you in for what my evil mind has planned for Naruto, Hinata and all the good guys...**

**I've been pretty down lately, seeing as rejection isn't exactly the best inspiration for writing a nice going story... If anything, I just might kill someone off and do away with them... Who? In all honestly, no one is off limits... It could be from someone as unimportant as Kin or as someone important as Naruto or even Takeo , if I wish it... ****[though I'm sure you couldn't give a rat's a*s if he dies...]**

**In fanfiction, all us authors get to play the role as god and do as we like, so yeah, maybe Naruto will fall off a cliff and never get up again... ever! Maybe Orochimaru will accidently trip off a ledge and die too... Maybe Orochimaru will trip on a banana peel and have a random sword fall on his heart... Who knows  
**

**Haha funny cuz as I sit here typing the next chapter, you might be like 'this guy's insane.' Yeah, maybe but again, when you've been rejected by the girl you like, you tend to not give a sh*t...**

**Hopefully I will have cheered up while I write the next chapter and maybe I will have a nice surprise for everyone who reviews! I hope my self pity doesn't drive you away and I'd like to apologize for it...  
**

***NOTICE* I'm not sure since I'm not really experienced with writing them, but should I write a lemon for this story? I ask because people's inner perverts tend to pop up now and again, so yeah...**

**One last thing... ****I'm taking down the poll in my profile to replace it with the question above: "Should there be a lemon for this story?"... With that being said, here are the pairings for this story, just so you know:**

**-Naruto/Hinata [big shocker... wonder how many people are disappointed...]  
-Temari/Shikamaru  
-Matsuri/Gaara  
-Kurenai/Kakashi  
-FemHaku/Shino [Don't like it, I refer you to the last couple of words of this A/N]  
-Tenten/Neji  
-Sakura/Lee  
-Ino/Choji [depends how important they are in the story, if not then I won't bother...]  
-Hanabi/Konohamaru [I know it's a last minute call and I haven't really introduced both charaters yet but it'll happen soon enough...]**

**And that's about it... I'm still on the fence with Kushina and Zabuza... I really do believe that she should remain faithful to Minato and don't really want to mess that up... Though it does interest me how funny they could be when they're together... Again, still unsure of them but I will have this settled soon enough so don't worry about it...**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	20. Realization!

**Yo, back with 20 chapter!  
**

**Listen, about my last chapter... sorry about that... just got some stuff off my system but don't worry, I'm back to norml [well sort of...]**

**Anyways, I gotta say thanks to all who reviewed, it really meant a lot!**

**Not much to say except that I think there's going to be a lemon soon, unfortunately, probably not soon enough for some of you heh heh...**

****WARNING!** Small amount of lime... solo un poquito! [just a little!] Also, too lazy and/or excited to proof read through the whole thing and make sure that it makes sense... Sorry again!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 20 _[Yeah, chapter 20, whoo!]_: Realization!**

**Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto...**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"Naruto-kun, do you really think you'll be able to pull it off in such a short amount of time?" Naruto looked to where Itachi and Jiraiya had gone to make sure they weren't looking. When he was sure they weren't, he slouched forward with his head down._

_"I'm not sure Hinata-chan." Hinata giggled at him and grabbed his hand._

_"I'm sure you will. You're Naruto-kun, you make the impossible happen." She said softly as she walked after Jiraya and Itachi with Nartuo in tow._

_"Maybe, I sure hope so."_

_"I know so." Hinata assured with a smile. Naruto smiled as well and nodded. He hugged Hinata from behind and kissed her in the cheek._

_"You always know what to say Hinata-hime." Hinata blushed but returned the hug._

[*.*.One week later.*.*]

It was beyond midnight and moans could be heard all over the area. They echoed through the halls of the hotel, but many were oblivious to it, having gotten used to it. In the room where the moans were coming from, a young man and woman were passionately kissing each other with everything they had. The male stroked his lover's long blue hair while she passed her fingers through his blonde spikes.

The two parted for some air but their eyes never looked away. They panted hard as the girl moved some of her incredibly smooth blue hair away from her beautiful face. The boy smiled a goofy smile but she loved him nonetheless. The girl couldn't believe she was there at the moment, having been from a prestigious clan, they would have never allowed her to be with a "street rat" as they labelled him.

"Hina-chan, I love you so much." The boy said. Tears welled up in the girl's exotic lavender eyes. The boy lifted his hand up to wipe the tears away. A smile appeared on the girl's lips when she felt his warm touch.

"I love you just as much Naru-kun." She looked away, in the process shying away from his touch. The boy looked at her, a little hurt.

"What is it?" He asked in a soft voice. The girl looked at him with sadness in her eyes.

"I-If my clan finds out about... us... they will surely want your death and I will be sent off to marry some random suitor. I... I just don't want you to be killed because of me." The girl told him, shedding more tears of sadness. The boy once again wiped her tears. He hugged the girl and lay down on the bed, bringing her with him. She felt his warmth sinking through the clothes she still wore, and it comforted her.

"It's ok my hime, I will be alright. You know as much as I do that it'll take a lot to get me away from you, even death. I know you love me as I love you so please don't think so much about the trivial things and just relax." He said, rubbing her side with his arm. This made the young woman feel better; his words and his hand. She looked up at his azure eyes and was about to say something but his kiss stopped her. She closed her eyes and leaned in to the kiss, licking his bottom lip for entrance. He opened his mouth and both their tongues fought for dominance.

During the kiss, the girl's hands reached for the bottom of his shirt and started to pull it off. The boy didn't resist as she took it completely off him after breaking the kiss. She then helped him take off her shirt and he looked at her naked body in awe, as he always did. He reached up and started to message her breast; suckling gently on her other nipple while his other hand went down her pants, rubbing her in the most intimate...

"ERO-SENNIN!" Naruto yelled after finding Jiraiya's "research" pad. Naruto trembled in anger and looked all around the forest for his perverted sensei. Hinata looked up at Naruto before putting her second jutsu scroll down and walking over to him. When she caught up to him, she hugged him from behind and rested her head on his back.

"Calm down Naruto-kun. Jiraiya-sama went into town for his 'research'." Hinata informed him. She knew of his "research" but still tried to be respectful to him, though everyday she spent in his company she found it harder to ignore his perverted groundwork.

"Read this Hinata-chan." Naruto handed Hinata the note pad and Hinata let him go; using both of her hands to hold the pad while Naruto paced furiously behind her. Free from Hinata's calming hug, and after a few seconds pacing, Naruto's anger returned. Instead of going into town and exposing himself however, he formed a long and complicated string hand signs, and in a few seconds and summoned a huge amount of chakra to his hand. Water started to spin around his hands causing it to look like a whirlpool of fire and water was floating on front of him, and he yelled the words that he had yelled so many times before. "**Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!**" The jutsu rocketed of his hands and went straight for the trees in front of him, completely obliterating the trees in its way. Naruto could feel Kyuubi's chakra envelope him, signalling that he should take a breather. He started to take deep breaths and could feel himself relaxing a bit. He then heard an "EEP" behind him and he turned to see Hinata blushing furiously, her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide – the pad having been dropped on the ground as if it was on fire. Naruto took note that she had a small amount of blood running from her nose. She looked up at Naruto and he shook his head.

"Looks like you let your temper get the better of you... again." A voice said behind the two. Hinata turned around and saw Itachi standing across from them. Itachi then looked at the fallen pad and sighed. "I see you have found Jirayia-san's note pad."

"You mean you knew about it?" Naruto accused.

"Yes, I also warned him to destroy it unless he wanted to deal with you but he didn't listen. So I told him to be careful with it." An angry tick mark appeared over Naruto's forehead. He then sensed something so he grabbed his kunai and threw it behind him and into the bushes. It rustled for a while before it became still. Jiraiya came out and cleaned the new wound on his cheek courtesy of Naruto.

"What was that for brat?" Jiraiya questioned. His eyes widened when he saw Naruto wave his 'research' pad in his hand. Jiraiya chuckled sheepishly and tried to explain.

"Heh heh, you see, about that I..." Before he could continue, he saw a mischievous smile appear in Naruto's lips. "No..." Naruto's hand was engulfed in green fire, in the process engulfing Jiraiya's pad in fox fire as well.

"No!" Jiraiya yelled in agony. Anime tears fell from his eyes as he fell to his knees. Naruto held his hand out and let the wind blow the ashes off his hand. He then dusted his hands off and went back to training. Hinata went back to her spot and kept reading the scroll with the next jutsu she was supposed to learn. Itachi walked up to Jiraiya.

"I did warn you." Was all he said before walking over to Naruto to help his training. Jiraiya mourned over his latest inspiration but also taking the lesson to heart: _'Hide my inspiration in a better place.'_

[*.*.Two week and a half later.*.*]

One day; that was how many days were left until the Finals for the Chunin exams started. It brought excitement and anticipation to every bone in Naruto's body.

Five more minutes; that was how many minutes were left until he would reach Konoha. Naruto was bouncing all over the area, literally. His training helped his speed and strength so much that... well, we'll see.

Hinata smiled as she watched her boyfriend move all over the place, too excited to stay in one spot for too long, unless of course it was next to her. With precise timing courtesy of her Byakugan, Hinata grabbed Naruto's arm and hugged it, making him stay still. She felt his hard muscles under her hold and she sighed dreamily. Naruto chuckled when he heard this and made Hinata let go in order to fully envelope her in a hug. He kissed her cheek and savored the sound of her giggle. Jiraiya was writing this down on his new research pad, making sure that Naruto never saw him holding it; hiding it behind a large scroll that he was 'reading'.

"Ah, can't wait to come back home, what about you Hinata-hime?" Hinata nodded, not really wanting to ruin the moment they were sharing. She leaned back on his muscular chest as he held on from behind, making sure that they were walking in the right direction. She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the peace before anything ruined it.

Naruto looked down at her face and couldn't help but stare. He simply couldn't believe how lucky he was to have someone as loving and as great as Hinata by his side. Naruto wasn't sure what he did to deserve her, but he would make sure that she would never be harmed; whatever the cost. His grip on her tightened but she ignored it, knowing that he was just thinking.

Naruto looked up to see Konoha's front gates, making him smile and pick up Hinata. She let out a small "EEP" and before she could asked, Naruto was already talking.

"See ya back home Ero-sennin." And with that, Naruto disappeared in a cloud of dust that was kicked up from his sprint. Jiraiya coughed up some dirt and covered his eyes.

"Crazy brat..." Jiraiya coughed out.

In a matter of seconds, Naruto appeared in front of Konoha's gates with a wide eyed Hinata in his arms. She shook off the weird feeling and looked up a smiling Naruto. Hinata sighed; she knew what he would do next. In another second, they were standing in front of Ichiraku's.

_'Of course...'_ Hinata thought with a smile. Naruto gently put her down and grabbed her hand as he walked into Ichiraku's, clearly intending to eat until he dropped.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto patted his stomach and sighed happily as he walked home. He had just dropped Hinata off at her house with Hiashi coincidentally standing outside. After a small conversation with him, Naruto had asked for his blessing to go out with Hinata. Hiashi's words still replayed in Naruto's head.

_"I will let you but know that one day the Hyuga Elders will want her to marry a man with a very high status. I just thought you'd like to know." _Naruto thought about his words, was Hiashi telling him that he needs to raise his rank and reputation if he expects to marry Hinata? The thought of marrying Hinata made him blush.

"There's more than enough time to think about that, but still..." Naruto said to himself. He walked up to his house and opened it to see all his stuff gone. He panicked and searched the whole house but nothing was there, just dust and empty space. He was about to run out of the house but he saw a smiling Kushina.

"M-Mom? What are you doing here?" He asked as he stepped out of his house.

"Oh I heard you were in town and thought I'd pay you a visit." She said sarcastically before hugging him in a blink of an eye. Naruto didn't react fast enough and was hit on his head.

"Ow!" He whined as he rubbed the new bump he was given.

"What do you think I'm doing here? I haven't seen you in a little under a month!" She yelled. Naruto winced under her tone, still rubbing his head. Kushina sighed, trying to remember why she came to find Naruto.

"Since you're here mom, do you know what happened to all my stuff?" It suddenly popped in her head and she remembered why exactly she was looking for him.

"Oh yeah, well with some help, I moved all your stuff moved to the Uzumaki compound." Naruto's eyes widened.

"W... What?" He asked, still in shock.

"Yup. Since I bought the compound all those years ago, why not use it right?" She reasoned. Kushina looked at Naruto face to see him excited but he was far from it. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" He paced for a moment before snapping his head back to face her, a dangerous look in his eyes. "What's wrong? You moved all my stuff from my house without my permission!" He yelled out. Kushina gasped in surprise but got angry as well.

"Who do you think you are, yelling at me like that!"

"I think I'm a boy who hasn't had a parent by his side to help him out. Then all of a sudden you come home and think you can start acting like my mom, as if you've been here all my life?" His eyes widened when he heard what he said, he didn't mean to say it out loud. Kushina was just as surprised. Before she could ask him about it, his body flickered away to somewhere distant. When she did snap out of it she started looking around for her son, wanting an explanation from him.

The first place Kushina thought about going was Ichiraku's. When he wasn't there, she went to the next best place; the Hyuga compound. She walked up to the door after getting past the guards and knocked on the door. She was glad when she saw Hinata answer.

When Hinata opened the door, the last person she was expecting to see was Kushina.

"Good afternoon Uzumaki-san." Hinata said with a bow, trying not to embarrass herself in front of Naruto's mom. Kushina waved it off.

"Come on Hinata-chan, none of that formal crap. Mom is good!" Hinata blushed and Kushina laughed. "I'm just kidding about the mom part but really, you don't need to be so formal, just Kushina!" Hinata nodded and stepped back so she could let Kushina in.

"Oh no, I'm not here for long Hinata-chan. I'm just looking for my trouble-making son, have you seen him?" Hinata shook her head.

"Sorry, can't say I have. He dropped me off an hour ago. Do you want me to help you look for him?" Hinata suggested but Kushina shook her head.

"It's okay; you just rest up for tomorrow so you can see my son kick some ass!" Kushina said before leaping up and climbing over the estate.

[*.*.*.*]

Kushina stopped to take a breather. She had been looking all over Konoha for her son but she hasn't seen him anywhere. She looked up at the now night sky, seeing the many various stars sparkle. She loved the night sky; it was so peaceful and quiet that sometimes she would go to her and Minato's favorite spot.

"That's it!" She thought aloud as she headed for her favorite spot. When she got there, she saw a sad-faced Naruto sitting on the Fourth Hokage's head. He had his knees hugged to his chest and seemed to be deep in thought. Kushina decided to take advantage of his momentary obliviousness and snuck up behind him. Before she could make her move, Naruto spoke.

"I see you've been looking for me mom." Kushina stopped in her tracks and sighed.

"So you noticed." She decided to sit next to Naruto and looked up at the sky. She turned her head and saw that he was looking down at the village, his eyes half opened. She decided not to bring the mother subject up at that moment so she stayed quiet and wait for her son to start it. After some time and many curses, in Kushina's mind, Naruto moved from his spot to lay down and look at the stars. Kushina almost feel asleep and it was only thanks to Naruto's movements that she wasn't completely out of it.

"Mom... I-I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you." Naruto started. "I guess... I guess I just didn't completely forgive you. I know it's not your fault that you weren't here for me but... it's just hard to let go. I was attacked for so many years, without anyone to comfort me afterward, to stop it from happening, and now you just coming out of nowhere and acting like you've been with me since the beginning... I guess it just finally hit me." Naruto sighed.

"But that's no excuse. No matter what you did, you were still the one who gave me life and I at least owe you a chance to make it up." Naruto told her. He heard some sniffling and saw that Kushina was crying. He sat up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Naruto; you're right, I only just came into your life and yet I act as though I've raised you myself. I'm sorry." Naruto was glad she wasn't crying her eyes out, but it wasn't any better that she was crying. He wrapped her in a small hug and patted her back.

"It's ok mom. It'll take a little more time but everything will be ok. I promise." He then stood, taking his mom with him and then let her go when he thought she would be able to stand on her own. HE then started to head for the stairs to go down the Hokage Monument. "Now, how about we go home and rest up for tomorrow. After all," He turned around and eye smiled while pointing a thumb to himself. "I got someone's ass to kick!" Kushina smiled and started following after Naruto.

"Say, how big is the compound?"

Naruto looked up at the Uzumaki compound in astonishment. It was as big, if not bigger than the Hyuga compound. Kushina walked up to the house as if it were nothing special. She unlocked the door and stepped in only to come back outside.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, it's late and I don't want you using this as an excuse for not going to the exams tomorrow." Kushina said as she came into the house and waited for Naruto to come in. When Naruto did, he covered his eyes. Kushina cocked her eyebrow.

"Eh? What are you doing now?" She asked. Naruto stopped walking, but he didn't uncover his eyes.

"If I look around then I'll never get to bed!" He told her. Kushina giggled and went behind her son and started pushing him towards his room. When she got there, she opened it for him and shoved him in, making him fall face first in his conveniently placed bed.

The first thing he noticed was that his bed was exceptionally soft, a lot softer than his old one. He opened his eyes and saw that it was a king sized bed. Then a huge picture from across the room caught his eye. His room was even bigger than his old house.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw that the picture was of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina looking at each other lovingly while a blond baby slept in Kushina's arms, who was still in the hospital. Kushina suddenly sat near Naruto on his bed while a couple of tears swelled up in her eyes.

"I love this picture; it's the only picture that has all three of us together." She started, her voice breaking, only slightly. Naruto looked at his mom, his own tears surrounding his eyes. He sighed and took off his shoes. Then he went under the covers and tried to go to sleep.

"Good night mom." He said before he fell asleep. Kushina smiled and kissed him in his forehead.

"Good night Naruto."

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto was lost in thought as he walked around the village. He was going to face Takeo in an hour and finally get revenge. But still, something was bothering him; something didn't seem right. Not only did it seem like something big was going to happen but he felt like something worse was going to happen to Hinata.

Before he could continue his thoughts, a chakra powered palm was aimed for his head. Naruto tilted his head only slightly and grabbed the arm attached to the hand and pulled it back. Naruto raised his knee and drove it into the stomach of one Neji Hyuga. Naruto was surprised at his timing to say the least but not to surprise to fight. While Neji doubled over in pain, Naruto disappeared and reappeared behind Neji only to kick his feet from under him.

As Neji fell to the ground, Naruto pulled out a kunai and held it to Neji's neck when Neji hit the ground. Neji's eyes were wide opened, finally catching up with everything that's happened. He wasn't sure how he was on the floor but he knew it was over for him. He had attacked a fellow comrade and said comrade could kill him in self-defence. Neji waited for the kunai to penetrate his neck but it never came.

Neji looked at Naruto and saw that Naruto was eye smiling. What the hell could he be happy about?

"Nice try Neji but I was expecting this." Naruto put his kunai away and lifted Neji by his neck. Naruto held Neji in the air, not letting go of his neck, if anything, applying more pressure to it with every passing second. Neji closed his left eye in pain.

"H-How did you know?" Neji asked weakly, still a bit winded from Naruto's sudden moves.

"I have my sources, but that's not the point. Now tell me," Naruto brought Neji down to eye level. "Why did you agree to Takeo's deal? It's idiotic and in the end, you'll only be screwed over!" Naruto said with such intensity, Neji temporarily lost his voice. When he found it, he smiled a mirthless smile.

"I did it because it was destined." Naruto let out a mirthless chuckle and then spat at Neji's words.

"That's bullshit and you know it! You could've said no to him and kept Hinata-chan safe from that sick teme! But no; you chose to take his side and tried to help him take Hinata-chan away! Tell me Neji, wasn't it you who was supposed to make sure no harm comes to 'Lady Hinata'?" Naruto said with hate and malice. Neji flinched but didn't answer right away.

"Yes."

"Then what the hell are you doing!" Naruto yelled louder.

"I did what I thought was fair!" Naruto let Neji go and Neji took a step back but he didn't do much more than that. "All my life I worked for what I have but Hinata was given everything in a silver platter! It's just not fair!" Neji broke down, it was taking all his will not to cry right there.

"Neji, you have to accept that life's not fair. No one ever said it was and I believe that happy endings don't just happen. If you want a happy ending then you have to be willing to fight for it!" Naruto told him. Neji looked up, chuckling a little.

"What do you know...you've never had you're freedom sealed away! You've never experienced a life of loneliness and hatred. You don't know what I'm going through!" Neji said through his anger. Naruto smiled at his words, wondering where he could start.

"But I do know, I know how you feel; if anything I know it more than you do." Naruto stared at Neji straight in the eyes. "Because of an incident that occurred so many years ago, my freedom was sealed away even before I was born. Because of it, I am hated by the whole village. If I had let destiny lead my life I probably would've died a long time ago, but I didn't. I defied fate and spat in destiny's face. I laughed in the face of danger and embraced life with open arms because I knew not everything was set in stone.

"I'm sorry that your father died in place of Hiashi-sama but that is no reason to hold a grudge against the Main family." Neji was speechless; he didn't really know what to say at this point so he decided to say what first came to mind.

"Why should I listen to you? What makes you think that I can defy fate?" Naruto looked at the ground and smiled, remembering the common word almost everyone thought or called him

"Because unlike me, you're not pathetic." Neji thought it over, wondering if he could really pull it off. Suddenly, a gust of wind, leaves, and sand appeared, and Neji covered his eyes while Naruto closed his eyes.

"What brings you here Gaara?" Gaara looked at both leaf ninjas stoically.

"There is something you should know Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

**Man, intense! Wonder what's he's going to say? Like you don't already know... Anyways, since this is chapter twenty, I decided to put a small omake! Enjoy...**

**OMAKE! Not Part of the Story... just for fun =]...**

Naruto panted as he fell to one knee. He closed his left eye and watched as Orochimaru walked up to him. It still made him sick to think that he was able to take over Sasuke's body and be the last Sharingan holder besides Kakashi. Orochimaru chuckled as he controlled Naruto's once teammate's body.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun? Angry that you were never as talented as my Sasuke?" Orochimaru hissed, adding insult to injury. Naruto held his left arm in pain as he spat his blood to the side and smiled.

"Yeah right. You might have been able to take out Konoha but luckily, we saw this coming so we were able to evacuate everyone!" Orochimaru's smile was wiped clean off and replaced with a scowl.

"Tch, you might have succeeded in saving everyone _Hokage_, but today's the day I will finally be able to rid the world of you." Orochimaru took a step closer to Naruto, only to step on a fresh banana peel and fall off the cliff. Naruto watched in shock as Orochimaru fell off the steep hill and land on the blade of a random sword that was coincidentally pointing upward. The sword pierced his heart and he died without muttering another word.

Naruto sweat dropped at this, not really believe what he had just seen. He then felt soft, petite hands wrap around his waist. He looked back and saw a mop of indigo hair.

"Oh Naruto-kun! I knew you'd be able to save all of us from that monster!" Hinata cheered from behind. Naruto smiled as he turned around and hugged his wife back.

"Thanks Hinata-chan, it means a lot to know you have so much confidence in me." He said lovingly. He then felt her escape his grasp and saw her put her finger on her lips.

"You know Naruto-kun, you should be 'rewarded' for all your hard work." Hinata said coyly. Naruto felt his pants tighten and his mind go blank. Soon enough his instincts took over and he hugged Hinata again. He then kissed her feverishly and used the Hiraishin to teleport him and Hinata to a secluded area to... ahem... be rewarded...

**

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**Heh, sorry, I was bored when I wrote this and was asked for in a review... well sort of but still... I made Orochimaru look stupid, in my mind anyways!**

**Author notes regarding the actual chapter:  
**

**Honestly, I don't think this is a cliffhanger because nothing big has happened yet and I'm sure all of you already know what he wants to tell him...**

**Heh heh, man I was so excited to get this chapter over with because soon, the really fighting happens and I might even have a few surprises in store... Like maaaaaaaayyybbbbeeee why Naruto wears ther mask? *Gasp*... That's right, in the next chapter, I will reveal why he wears the mask... It may not be a big deal and you might even get mad at me for hyping up something not worth getting excited over but it's how it is so yeah, get over it when the time comes...**

**About Naruto's outburst... I got a review that said that he was too forgiving with Kushina and after much thinking, I agree... After finding out that the crazed woman attacking your client was you mom, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have reacted like that but again, since that's never happened, I wasn't sure how to make him react... sorry about that!**

**Also, I know he says "Because unlike me, you're not a failure" not pathetic... But think, I'm sure no one's called him a failure, pathetic maybe, but not failure... so there...  
**

**That's about it... so please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter!**

**Next Chapter: The snakes hidden within the exams! [yes _snakes..._meaning there is more than one!]**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it**


	21. The Snakes Hidden in the Exams

**Chapter 21! yeah! and it's a killer!**

**We finally learn why he wears a mask, well sort of, I give a very big clue and I will explain it soon... I think...**

**Please, please be open minded about this chapter because it was very complicated to write and my head still hurts from all the thinking I had to do...**

**Without further ado!**

**Chapter 21: The Snakes Hidden in the Exams!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"Why should I listen to you? What makes you think that I can defy fate?" Naruto looked at the ground and smiled, remembering the common word almost everyone thought or called him_

_"Because unlike me, you're not pathetic." Neji thought it over, wondering if he could really pull it off. Suddenly, a gust of wind, leaves, and sand appeared, and Neji covered his eyes while Naruto closed his eyes._

_"What brings you here Gaara?" Gaara looked at both leaf ninjas stoically._

_"There is something you should know Naruto Uzumaki."_

[*.*.*.*]

"I see, this is a problem…" Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment before turning back to his unexpected ally and friend. "What do you suggest we do?" Naruto asked. Gaara shook his head; he had hoped that Naruto would have an idea. Naruto looked at Neji who was still a bit shocked over the information they received from Gaara. "Neji, you are old then both me and Gaara and are a prodigy, are you not?" Neji nodded his head. Naruto grabbed him by his collar and punched his face.

"Then start acting like one and help us come up with a plan! We have less than three hours until the snake-teme decides to wipe us out!" Naruto yelled as he shook Neji. Neji seemed to snap out of his stupor and slapped Naruto's hands off him.

"Fine, calm down, getting irrational about this is not going to help us out in the least." Neji went into a thinking pose and Naruto was glad he was finally acting rational. In the distance, the three heard fireworks go off, signalling the start of the Chunin exams.

"Damn." Naruto cursed, it seemed he had even less time to think of a plan than he thought. Neji though didn't let the pressure get to him as he started to formulate a plan. It suddenly came to him.

"Ok, this is what's going to happen. They need Gaara to destroy Konoha but they don't know he's not going to do it, so it gives us the element of surprise. We need to head to the Chunin exams and alert the Third Hokage of the invasion, he'll know what to do from there." Naruto nodded and so did Gaara. The three then sprinted to where the Chunin exmas were being held until Gaara stopped and held his head in pain.

"What's wrong Gaara?" Naruto asked, making Neji stop and turn around. Gaara grunted as he answered.

"I'm... fine, just a small headache. Go, hurry." He told them. Neji continued to run while Naruto seemed to debating about it. "Dont worry, just go!" Gaara yelled, making Naruto nod his head and go ahead. Gaara tried to stand but the throbbing in his head was making it impossible. Suddenly, something around his torso and thrust him in the opposite direction of the Chunin exams. Gaara's back it a tree, making it crack and fall. Luckily Gaara's sand cushioned the hit, and when he looked up he saw his father walking to him.

"I see you have decided to disobey my orders _son_." The Fourth Kazekage said. Gaara looked at him in anger as he stood, his head still in pain.

"I did it because I'm tired of listening to someone who wanted me dead since the beginning, _father_." With his free hand, Gaara sent his sand to attack his father. The Kazekage smiled as he disappeared and appeared in front of Gaara and sent a knee to his stomach. Gaara's sand once against blocked the attack and started to cover it in sand. The Kazekage sneered as he kicked his foot free of sand.

"It's a shame that you did not cooperate Gaara; I would've made you a hero!" The Kazekage told him but Gaara scoffed it off.

"I would've been feared instead of respected. I know that's how you rule but when you die by my hands today, I will make sure that my rule will be one of benevolence instead of fear." Suddenly, killer intent filled the air and Gaara was having trouble breathing, falling to one knee and grasping his neck. The Kazekage' smile became sinister as he walked closer to Gaara. When he was within reach, he kicked Gaara in the stomach, sending him sprawling. When he stopped, Gaara turned into sand and dissolved.

"I do not fear your killing intent; I have the one tailed demon in me. It'll take more than that to scare me." The Kazekage turned around to see Gaara with his arms crossed and sand rushing to him. The Kazekage moved his hand up, for a moment managing to the sand stop, and then he disappeared. Gaara sent his sand to block his head and as it stood firm, it blocked the Kazekage's roundhouse kick. Moving quickly, the sand enveloped the Kazekaeg's foot in sand and before he could disappear.

Gaara closed his open hand.

"**Sand Coffin!**" The sand crushed the Kazekage's foot and the Kazekage yelped in pain. He jumped back and held his leg in pain.

"I'm tired of playing this game..." The Kazekage's leg suddenly came into place and he disappeared and slammed his fingers into Gaara's gut before his sand was able to react. Gaara doubled over and fell to his knees, feeling the connection with Shukaku grow and himself losing control. The Kazekage smiled as he saw sand envelope his son's left arm. "Whether you want to or not, you will attack this village."

Sand rocketed up from the ground up and cut some of the Kazekage's face. He held his face in pain and when he droped his hand, the skin was peeling off and underneath it was pale skin and a snake like eye. Gaara growled as he said one last thing before Shukaku took over.

"Orochimaru you... bastard. I knew you weren't... my father." All rational thoughts disappeared as Gaara's body was enveloped in sand.

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata was sitting down with the rest of the civilians as they watched Shikamaru hide in a tree so that he had time to think of a plan against his opponent Temari. The first match had between the first two Kumo ninjas, Cross and Nozomi. It ended in a draw when it appeared that neither would get the upper hand after an entire two hours of brutal fighting.

Hinata was brought out of her thoughts when her sister, who was sitting next to her, placed her hand on her shoulder. Hiashi was sitting on the other side of Hanabi but was more interested in the fight.

"Hinata, you seemed worried." Hanabi said. Hinata looked at her for a while before looking at the fight again.

"I-It is nothing, I am just wondering, is all." Hinata told her with a smile. Hanabi knew it was fake and hated when her sister lied.

"It's about that Uzumaki boy." Hanabi stated. Hinata flinched but nodded, knowing that it would be pointless lying now.

"He is still not here and I have a feeling that something bad will happen."

"If something does occur, I trust that you will not get in the way?" Hiashi asked as his eyes was still watching the fight below. Hinata felt her confidence shrink.

"Y-Yes father." She said in a meek voice. Then she saw someone appear next to the Hokage in the corner of her eye. She looked at the area and saw Naruto and Neji talking to the Hokage. She also noticed that the Kazekage was not there. She saw the Hokage summon two ANBU and the two nodded and disappeared. The Hokage then looked at Naruto and Neji who both nodded again and disappeared. Hinata wondered what he was up to until she felt someone wrap their arms gently around her neck and lightly kissed her on her cheek.

"Hey." Naruto said with a smile. Hinata smiled too and intertwined her left hand his right one.

"Hey." She said back. Naruto tilted his head and looked at Hanabi.

"Hey Hanabi-chan, how's it going?" He asked. It took Hanabi off guard how he greeted her, as if he has known her all her life.

"Uhm, fine, I guess." She answered. Naruto's mood got serious as he looked at Hiashi.

"Good afternoon Hiashi-sama, I assume you are enjoying the Chunin exams?" Naruto asked politely, surprising Hanabi and earning a smile from Hinata. Hiashi was surprised as well but didn't show it. He looked at Naruto with his usual stoic expression and nodded. "That is good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of, excuse me. "Before he left, he whispered something to Hinata's ear and kissed her cheek. Hinata was a little peeved that the mask got in the way but knew she shouldn't think about it after the news she just heard.

_'Damn it, what's taking Gaara so long?'_ Naruto thought but was interrupted when Hayate introduced the next match.

"I forfeit." Kakuro told him, earning jeers from the audience but he shrugged it off. Shino was not pleased by the easily earned victory but didn't say it or anything at all.

"Fine, since he forfeited, we will move on to the next match. Naruto Uzumaki and Takeo Ryusaki, get down here." Naruto smiled, finally getting his revenge. When he jumped down, everyone was wondering why exactly he was wearing an orange cloak, covering his entire body. The back of the cloak had the kanji for 'Immortal' while the top left shoulder had the kanji for 'Fox'. Takeo jumped down and smirked as he unsheathed his swords.

"You ready to lose, _Naruto-kun_?" Takeo asked, his voice angered and unsteady. Naruto cracked his neck as his orange cloak's collar covered the lower part of his face but remained quiet.

Up in the stands, Hanabi watched and waited, the wait keeping her on the edge of her seat. While he refrained from showing it, Hiashi also wanted to see what he was capable of doing. Hinata smiled and wondered if he was going to kill Takeo at the first chance he could or just make him suffer before killing him. In a very non-Hinata thought, she was hoping for the latter.

"So I guess we're are going to see what your boyfriend can do Hinata." Hanabi stated and then leaned to her sister's ear. "You better hope he impresses father." She whispered. Hinata nodded her head but knew her father was still impressed with him from when he saved her from Kumo's second attempt to kidnap her. Now, he was going to prove that he was more than qualified to be her fiancé. She blushed at her thought and wished Naruto luck.

"Alright, if both contestants are ready... you may start." Hayate jumped back. Naruto wasted no time in showing his speed as he was jumping back and forth in the stadium. Naruto afterimages appeared around the stadium, making it look like he was at different places at once. Takeo smirked and re-sheathed his swords. He started making hand signs as Naruto was still moving all over the place.

"**Ninja art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!**" A mist surrounded the whole stadium but Naruto didn't stop moving, instead, he ran around the stadium, making a sort of whirlwind and dispelling the mist. Naruto didn't stop moving as Takeo sent fireballs in his direction. Making his own hand signs, Naruto brought his hand near his mouth.

"**Water style: Raging Waves!**" Naruto spat out water, cancelling the fireball that was heading for him and causing steam to cover the area. Takeo looked around and unsheathed one sword and blocked Naruto's shuriken and kunai. Not reacting fast enough, Takeo was kicked back and saw Naruto grab one of his swords. He recovered from the hit and held his sword out as he got into a stance similar to Naruto's.

"Stop messing with me and take off that damned mask!" Takeo yelled but Naruto didn't move. His grip on his sword tightened and he charged towards Naruto. Naruto blocked all of Takeo's moves and was able to strike him a couple of times. Takeo sneered and compressed some of Kyuubi's chakra against his sword's blade. He swung down forcefully and let Kyuubi's compressed chakra head straight for Naruto.

"**Demon art: Slicing Chakra Invocation!**" Naruto didn't flinch. All he did was bring his hand up and waited for the attack to hit him.

When Naruto's hand connected with the blast, the impact shook the stadium to its core. Hanabi gasped, Hiashi raised his eyebrows and Hinata smiled. Everyone in the stadium remained quiet as they waited for the dust to clear.

Takeo laughed as he sheathed his sword. It was only half way in sheathing his sword did Takeo see a blur in the cloud of dust. When it cleared, his eyes widened.

Naruto's long blond hair blew in the wind as it cleared the dust. His mask was still the same, black and covered the lower half of his face. He wore a skin tight sleeveless black muscle shirt and had a silver plated armor over his chest. His forearms were wrapped in gray bandages that came from his fingers up to his elbow. He also had a black hakama and black ninja shoes.

Everyone present was shocked with his appearance and some girls even blushed. Everyone thought he looked intimidating and even like he was a trained assassin. Hinata smiled proudly and Hiashi had a smirk of his own.

"N-No way that's Naruto... is it?" Sakura asked Ino who sat by her. Ino just remained silent, not knowing how to comment. Choji happily munched on his chips and Shikamaru smiled.

"Show off." Temari was having a hard time suppressing her blush and Kankuro knew that Naruto would be another obstacle to climb when they started the invasion. The Third Hokage smiled proudly; just as a proud grandfather would. The Kazekage, who just now return hid his scowl.

"Hn, if you think new clothes will help you defeat me then you are sadly mistaken." Naruto shook his head, started making hand signs, and put his hand to his mouth.

"**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!**" Naruto yelled as a giant fireball rushed towards Takeo. Takeo smirked and made more hand signs. He then made an even bigger fireball and it consumed Naruto's fireball, making it even bigger. Naruto once again didn't flinch, even as the intense heat from the fireball was headed for him.

Takeo grimaced when he noticed that his fireball was starting to shrink. It soon dispersed and Takeo saw Naruto holding his hand out while green fire was burning in his hand. Naruto then sprinted for Takeo in a mad dash and thrust his fox fire hand out at Takeo's heart. Takeo was barely able to dodge it but wasn't so luckily when a second Naruto appeared over the Naruto that missed and sliced Takeo's chest.

Takeo fell down hard, holding his chest and stopping the blood that was threatening to fall. Naruto smirked behind his mask and slowly made his way to Takeo.

"Finally, I will kill you Takeo. You have out stayed you welcome here and I will make sure your leave will be as painful as possible." Takeo couldn't move since the cut on his chest was too painful. Naruto rose his sword high in the air and was about to bring it down when suddenly the whole village was starting to shake. "What?"

Taking opportunity of the confusion, Takeo kick Naruto back and quickly healed himself with Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto recovered and glared at Takeo before another expulsion caught his attention up where the Kages were.

"It's been fun Naruto but appears that it's time to get serious." Takeo disappeared and reappeared where Hinata was. "And you're coming with me." Takeo promptly knocked Hinata out and before anyone could do anything, he disappeared. A second later, Naruto appeared where Takeo once was, searching frantically for Hinata.

"Where is she?" Naruto asked but then was starting to feel sleepy. He then noticed that many of the civilians ripped their clothes off to reveal themselves as Oto ninjas.

_**'Kit, it's a genjutsu!'**_ Naruto heard Kyuubi tell him. He mentally nodded and started to summon Kyuubi's chakra, letting it spread over the area and release the genjutsu. Many woke up again and the Jonin and Chunins that weren't already fighting were now jumping in to help defend their home. Naruto spotted a couple of Oto ninjas terrorizing civilians so he sprang into actions. Right before the Oto nins were able to stab the poor mother and her two children, Naruto cut the Oto nins down. They all fell hard and Naruto swiped the blood off his sword. The civilian watched as Naruto eye smiled.

"Don't worry, as a Konoha shinobi, I will do all I can to make sure everyone is safe. Now please go hide before you are involved in shinobi business once again." The mother nodded and took her two children to safety while her opinion of the 'demon child' was quickly changing. Naruto watched them leave and then quickly moved to the top of the stadium. He looked around and saw utter chaos.

Across the village, a giant sand demon was attacking everything that stood in its path. Naruto looked to his left and saw a huge purple barrier surround the roof of where the Kages stood and saw the Third Hokage fighting Orochimaru. Naruto scowled and wanted to help the Hokage but knew he could handle it himself. Then he turned in the direction where he could feel Hinata's chakra signature. He smiled a mirthless smile as he held his mask.

"You bastard... I guess you really want to die." Naruto ripped his mask off and did not try to suppress his chakra as it flailed around wildly. Everyone in the stadium stopped what they were doing when they felt a huge wave of chakra coming from the roof of the place. It was huge, could probably rival Kyuubi's, the only difference was that the chakra was pure. Naruto decided he needed some back up so he jumped off the roof and into the middle of the stadium. He didn't waste anytime as he bit his thumb, made some hand signs and slammed his hand onto the concrete.

"**Sumoning Jutsu!**" A huge amount of smoke filled the area and when it dispersed, a huge tiger stood in the middle. The tiger was as big if not bigger than Gamabunta and had a gold battle helmet and arm guards on all four legs. It roared loudly as it looked around, surveying its environment.

"**Who summoned me?**" The giant tiger roared. Naruto then appeared in its sight and bowed.

"I have Torajoushi-sama. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I am in need of your assistance. I would be greatly honored if you would battle for me." Naruto said. Torajoushi looked down at Naruto and smiled.

"**Ah yes, the famous 'Naruto uzumaki'. My children speak fondly of you, as if you were there own sibling. What is it you need my assistance in?**" Torajoushi asked. Naruto pointed out to where Shukaku was and scowled. "**I see they let his container sleep, fools. I see, I will aid you Uzumaki but only this one time. The next time, I would like to be notified ahead of time, is that understood?**" Naruto nodded and made a shadow clone.

Down below, people were terrified with the giant tiger, not knowing whether it was ally or not. Many Oto nins stopped attacking to stare at the tiger in awe. This left them open and let Kakashi take down more Oto nins with his chidori, seeing as he didn't want to waste his chakra on Lightning Blade. He looked up at Naruto in sorrow, ashamed that he hadn't helped his student out in any way. He had just come back and his village was being invaded. Luckily, Sasuke was out of harm's way and helping escort the civilians out of the stadium along with some of the other Genin.

Without warning, the tiger jumped over the stadium walls and raced after Shukaku with Naruto on top. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw a second Naruto run in the opposite direction. Sasuke wanted to know where he was going and he was going to find out.

Shukaku was happily destroying many buildings and some of the civilians until a tiger shoved him out of the village with a strong head-butt. As Shukaku recovered, he saw that the tiger was none other than Torajoushi.

"**You pest, what the hell are you doing here?**" Shukaku yelled.

"**I was summoned to defend this home and I will do just that. If you don't fight with everything you got, than this will surely be your last fight!**" Torajoushi roared as he charged up a fireball. Shukaku sucked in some air and punched his stomach.

"**Wind style: Air Bullet!**" The attack charged right at Torajoushi and he jumped high into the air and released the fireball.

"**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!**" Shukaku raised some sand and blocked the fireball, making the sand turn into glass. Through the glass Shukaku saw Torajoushi ran at him and break through the glass. It didn't have time to react as Torajoushi reared its claw back and thrust it forward to cut off Shukaku's left arm. Shukaku yelled in pain as its arm fell. Then it chuckled as sand started to accumulate in his left arm and form a new one.

"**Hey kid, do you know any jutsus that might help speed this up?**" Torajoushi asked. Naruto started to make some hand signs, even putting some of Kyuubi's chakra into it and held both palms out.

"**Elemental style: Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!**" After the fire and water started spinning in front of Naruto, he closed his palms and the whirlpool of fire and water sped off towards Shukaku's newly acquired left arm. Torajoushi decided to aim for Shukaku's right arm with another fireball. Naruto's attack ended up ripping Shukaku's left arm off while soaking some of its sand or burning it until it turned to glass. Torajoushi's attack just turned his right arm into glass.

Shukaku yelped in pain and started to move around in a rampage again.

"**Listen kid, we need to wake Shukaku's container so the damned beast can go down. Now, I'm going to rush him and hold on to him long enough for you to climb on and beat some sense into the container.**" Naruto nodded and prepared himself for what is to come.

[*.*.*.*]

Takeo stopped running and watched in shock as a giant tiger appeared in the stadium. He smiled, he knew Naruto would save the village before he'd save Hinata. He shook her awake and made her see the tiger.

"You see that Sunshine, your little boyfriend would rather save the village than you, what a shame." Hinata jumped out of Takeo's arms and went into a defensive stance.

"He will save me and he will kill you." Hinata said boldly even though she still felt a little weak from being knocked out.

"I'm pretty sure that he can't be in two places in one."

"Don't count on it!" Then without any warning whatsoever a fist connected with Takeo's chin and he was sent flying back. Naruto appeared in between Hinata and Takeo and he was panting.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelled with glee. Naruto smiled at her.

"I told you once and I'll keep telling you, I will always protect you; even with my life." Naruto took out his sword and blocked an arc from Takeo. Naruto then radiated a lot of Killing intent, making Takeo falter and his attack to weaken. "You will not win Takeo, I will stop you myself!" Naruto shoved him back and made his back hit a tree. Takeo slid down the tree and groaned, his Kyuubi chakra taking too long to heal him. All of a sudden he started to chuckle.

"You might be able to kill me now but I know someone who will stop you." Takeo made a weird hand sign. Naruto, getting tired of hearing him talk, swung down to end it. His sword stopped short of its target and the person who stopped it was someone he never expected to defend Takeo.

"H-Hinata-chan, what are you doing?" Hinata stood in front of Takeo with her kunai in hand to stop Naruto's sword. Hinata's eyes were dull and seemed out of it as tears fell down her eyes.

"I'd love to stay and see how this ends but I have to retreat and recover. Some other time Naruto-kun!" Takeo then ran off towards the direction of the village's gates and Naruto would've ran after him but Hinata stood in his way. Her hands were shaking but were ready to throw the kunai at Naruto if he were to run after Takeo. Naruto could see Hinata trying to fight off Takeo's influence but he knew it was pointless. Takeo had injected her with something that made her listen to him and it was killing Naruto on the inside.

"I-I'm sorry... N-Naruto-k-kun." Hinata said in a small whisper before running at Naruto with her kunai positioned to stab Naruto in the heart. Naruto knew he couldn't lift a finger to hurt Hinata.

"Move Naruto!" Naruto heard and saw Sasuke block Hinata kunai with one of his. "What are you waiting for, go after him, I'll keep Hinata busy and make sure she doesn't get hurt." Naruto looked at him and then at Hinata. He nodded his head and went after Takeo.

"Thanks Sasuke." Sasuke grunted as he pushed Hinata back.

Naruto sprinted as fast as he could after Takeo. He would make sure that he paid for everything he did. Naruto jumped into the air as a whirlpool of fire and water barely missed him. Naruto looked back and saw a smirking Takeo.

"This is it Naruto. I'm tired of you trying to stop me. No more!" Takeo ripped his shirt off and made some hand signs. "I will kill you with the very chakra that runs inside your veins." Takeo slammed his hand on his gut and a seal suddenly appeared. It spread all over his body and he fell to his knees in pain. Red chakra started to surround Takeo and he laughed maniacally.

"This is it, I can feel Kyuubi's chakra going through me, healing me and making me stronger!" The demon cloak soon enveloped him as two chakra fox ears appeared on his head and three chakra tails formed behind him. Takeo got on all fours and started to burn the branch he was on. "This is it Naruto! This is where we both clash for the final time and we find out who is the better monster!" Takeo let out a ear-piercing roar.

"I will come out victorious but I will never be the better monster." Naruto felt Kyuubi's chakra envelope him too, soon he looked like Takeo, three chakra tails and all.

* * *

**Wow, I kind of think this is the most action packed chapter I ever wrote...**

**Also, I know Orochimaru/Sarutobi's fight isn't in this chapter, that's cuz it's going to be in the next chapter... Why? Because I didn't want this chapter to drag on to long...**

**So yeah the poll in my prfile asking for a lemon for this story is still in effect just for those who don't know...**

**So fat I got 13-Hellz Yeah, 2-yes and 1-no... no? weird but whatever...**

**If the fights aren't as exciting as you thought it would be then I'm sorry but I tried... Also, I didn't mean to end it with a cliffhanger but I'm sure you don't want to read a chapter that has probably over 10,000 words... right? Oh well...**

**To let you know, I didn't just think of things on the spot, I actually planned this out so if a couple of people are missing in the fights, it's for a reason which I think I'll explain in the next chapter... So...  
**

**Next Chapter: Leaf vs Sound, winner take all!  
**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	22. Leaf vs Sound, winner take all!

**Yo! It's chapter 22! Yeah, I know it's about a week late but I got some sh*t to deal with and so this was put on hold for a while...**

**Also, Thanks to all who reviewed... Means a lot! And I want to do something I've seen other authors do... Review response or whatever...**

**Here goes:**

**xxlil-laurenxx  
2009-09-28 . chapter 21**

**"_cool chapter poor hinata it must be killing her inside"_**

**Me:Thanks and yes, it is killing her inside...**

**Dark-Lord-Ryu  
****2009-09-28 . chapter 21**

_**"Good Chapter but why did Hinata stop Naruto?"**_

**Me: Cuz she's under Takeo's influence so to speak... Hope that helps!**

**SunouNeozaki  
2009-09-29 . chapter 21**

_**"You know something. This story is starting to remind me of that Naruto vs. Susake story... WHY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE AFTER HINATA... She is just way to sexy and innocent for that. lol. Also the comment about 10 words, well I WOULD LIKE THAT... lol. Nice story so far."**_

**Me: I think that's a compliment so cool and thanks! Why do I have someone after Hinata? Cuz it makes this story a bit more interesting dontcha think? Heheh and yes I know she is too sexy and innocent for this, those are two of many reasons why Hinata's my favorite female character on Naruto... And I'll think about the 10,000 words chapter! Thanks!**

**THE HEE-HO KING  
2009-09-30 . chapter 21**

_**"I hate you and your cliff hanger but as you said I'll just deal with it I love this story keep it up and can't wait to see Takeo finally die till next time,**_

_**Hee-Ho!"**_

**Me: Sux that you hate me and my cliffhanger... Bright side is that people actually listen to my saying at the end of the chapters, awesome... heh thanks!**

**BRD man  
2009-10-04 . chapter 21**

_**"lovin' your story dude! would personally like to see a little more humour and WAFFy moments in the story, but hey, I'm not the author (it'd be unreadably bad if I was).  
Who are you kidding putting a "lemons?" poll up? Of course its gonna be "yes and soon!" and preferably NaruHina (after all, "old enough to kill, old enough to do anything 'adult' you want to!"). I'm getting giddy just thinking about your, hopefully soon, future lemon.  
Personally I'd go for the "evil clone dies screaming, and all his remaining chakra and memories, but NO personality return to Naruto" sort of like a really bad uber shadow clone.  
Last but not least, LOVE the "Roachy slips on a banana peel" bit, any chance of working something like that, but maybe with a fox turd, in during a future Naruto v "Major Bad Guy" fight giving Naruto that tiny bit more time to power up an attack to take him out that would have otherwise been a bit too weak or disrupted. That would be hilarious, and canon-worthy (prelims, Naruto v Kiba, fart in face gave him time to power up for the takedown)."**_

**Me: Whoa, longest comment in a while... Anyways, yeah, I'll be sure to add more humor and WAFFY moments but not now cuz we're in the middle of a fight sooooooo... no humor... And yes, I will do a lemon for all who care... Maybe Naruhina, maybe not, haha evil me! That's not a bad idea but we'll see if it'll fit in this story!  
Haha the Omake from the previous chapter with Orochimaru slipping, like I said, was random thing but I'm glad you, my readers, liked it! For that fox turd thing... maybe; nuff said... haha...**

**Leaf Ranger  
2009-10-09 . chapter 21**

_**"Shit man... Takeo just won't die. Bastard, doing that to HInata.**_

_**NIce chapter, over all. Very cool."**_

**Me: Yes, he won't die just like that bug Orochimaru...**

**Anyways, that's it for now and thanks to everyone else who reviewed... Also to you Legend of Namikaze Naruto and Chewie Cookies... you're respective stories The Blond Legend and Hinata's Protector are personal favorites and are awesome stories I recomend to all Naruhina fans!**

**Enough advertisement, on to the chapter**

**Chapter 22:**** Leaf vs Sound, winner take all!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"This is it, I can feel Kyuubi's chakra going through me, healing me and making me stronger!" The demon cloak soon enveloped him as two chakra fox ears appeared on his head and three chakra tails formed behind him. Takeo got on all fours and started to burn the branch he was on. "This is it Naruto! This is where we both clash for the final time and we find out who is the better monster!" Takeo let out an ear-piercing roar._

_"I will come out victorious but I will never be the better monster." Naruto felt Kyuubi's chakra envelope him too, soon he looked like Takeo, three chakra tails and all._

[*.*.*.*]

Sarutobi jumped out of the way of incoming snakes and made some hand signs.

"**Fire style: Dragon Flame bomb!**"

"Give it up old man, I will win this and I will watch as this pathetic village burns to the ground. And what better way to do this than use Konoha's so called 'protector'." Orochimaru made some quick hand signs and suddenly, a yellow coffin with the kanji for 'First' popped out of the ground. The Third Hokage's eyes widened when he realized what Orochimaru was talking about. He took out a couple of shuriken and made hand signs. Orochimaru reacted to Sarutobi's jutsu with his own as he made another series of hand signs as the second coffin with the kanji for 'Second' rose from the ground. Sarutobi threw his shuriken and announced his jutsu.

"**Ninja art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Orochimaru smirked.

"**Earth style: Mud Wall Jutsu!**" Orochimaru then spit out mud that then solidified to protect the third yellow coffin marked as 'Fourth' that was slowly rising. The wall of dirt blocked the shadow shuriken and the third coffin was forced back underneath the ground. Sarutobi couldn't believe he wasn't able to stop the third coffin. Now he wasn't sure if he would be able to defeat Orochimaru. The three coffins creaked opened the once dead Hokages walked out of their coffins. They looked very pale and had scars and cuts over their corpses. Sarutobi couldn't believe his eyes; it was almost as if it was all a genjutsu.

"Sarutobi, you've grown old." The First Hokage commented.

"Where are we by the way?" The Second added, making all three Hokages to look around, surveying their surroundings. Before anyone could answer that, Minato spoke.

"So old man, how's my son?" Minato said with an indifferent smile, it didn't suit him in Sarutobi's mind. He knew behind his smile he was beating himself up for sealing a demon in his only child. Sarutobi looked away in shame, not really knowing how to tell his predecessor the news of his son.

"He's been... ok." Minato heard the hesitation in his voice but wasn't given any time to ask about it.

"That is quite a sight... how can you lie to the best Hokage this hell hole has created right to his face." A voice hissed behind Minato, grabbing his attention. Moving his head ever so slightly to the left, Minato looked back and glared at the Snake Sannin.

"What do you mean?" He asked in a low voice. Orochimaru chuckled and Sarutobi tensed. The other two Hokages were wondering what was going on but still held their passive expressions.

"Many of the villagers have shunned him, despised him, wanted him dead ever since he was born, they still do. They have ignored your last wish of seeing him as the hero you see him as and did the opposite; they see him as the Kyuubi incarnate." Orochimaru smirked at Minato's shocked expression and Sarutobi's angered expression.

"How would you know that, you left before any of this happened!" Sarutobi yelled.

"Enough talk, it's time for the fighting to begin." Ignoring Sarutobi's outburst, Orochimaru stabbed a kunai with a seal attached to it to the back of the first two Hokages' heads and watched it get swallowed up. The two Hokages regained some color into their skin and all their injuries were instantly healed. They looked down at their bodies and then at their hands.

"What has happened?" The Second Hokage asked to no one in particular.

"It seems like we are under Orochimaru's influence." The First Hokage answered. Minato in the meanwhile was still shocked over the news of his son.

"They rejected him..." He said silently. Orochimaru walked behind him and was about to implant the special kunai into Minato's head but Minato's reflexes kicked in and he jumped away from the Hokages, old and current, and Orochimaru.

"Stay back!" He shouted. Orochimaru sneered and looked at the two Hokages.

"You, hold him down long enough for me to implant this in him." Orochimaru ordered to the Second Hokage. "You deal with the old man." He ordered to the First Hokage. They both disappeared and reappeared in front of their target.

"Get... Away... From me!" Minato shouted as he released his killing intent. The Second Hokage faltered only for a second before he started his assault.

The First Hokage made some hand signs as he ran and made wooden stakes come out of the ground and try to stab Sarutobi. Sarutobi jumped out of the way and threw some kunai. The First Hokage made a branch sprout out and block the kunai. He then shot the branch out to hit Sarutobi. He made some hand signs and blew out fire.

"**Fire style: Dragon Flame bomb!**" The fire burned nearby wood as it headed for the First Hokage. The First Hokage jumped out of its way and made some more hand signs. He focused an extreme amount of chakra and released it at the end of the hand signs.

"**Wood style: Secret Technique: Birth of Dense Woodland Jutsu!**" Slowly, small roots started to rise off the ground. As more spread out, it suddenly ricocheted upwards and surrounded Sarutobi while simultaneously getting thicker. As a result, a giant tree with many branches and leaves stood firm and tall while Sarutobi remained inside. Orochimaru smirked as he saw his teacher get trapped inside the jutsu.

[*.*.*.*]

Off in the distance, Kushina cut the last Sound nin down in half, taking out the last team outside of Konoha's walls. She knew that if Naruto hadn't sent a shadow clone to warn her of the impending doom, the team she just slaughtered would've summoned whatever it was they were trying to summon.

"Kushina!" She turned around and saw Jiraiya and a squad of ANBU land in front of her. "The enemy shinobi near the west gates have been killed." Jiraiya continued seriously. Kushina internally smiled, glad that when the situation needed him to be he was serious.

"Good, I took care of this group and I think that was all of it." She told him. Another chakra spike filled the air and Kushina looked in the direction of where a giant tiger was fighting Shukaku. "We should probably go help out the re-" Before she finished, she felt another chakra spike, one that she hasn't sensed in over twelve years. "N-No... it can't be him." She jumped into the direction of the Chunin exams stadium in a flash.

"Kushina!" He yelled and sighed when she didn't hear him. Suddenly, the ground shook and from five hundred feet away, a giant snake, not as big as the tiger or Shukaku, appeared. "Who was supposed to secure that area?" Jiraiya asked, facing the ANBU team. They looked amongst there selves and then the leader with a bear mask stepped forward.

"You Jiraiya-sama, you were supposed to secure that area." The ANBU Captain answered. Jiraiya sweat dropped and bit his thumb.

"Right!" He slammed his hand onto the ground after making some hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Minutes later, Kushina arrived right outside the ominous purple barrier onto of some destroyed roof. She was confused by the huge tree inside the barrier. She didn't have much time to think about the tree as a yellow flash caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone with blond hair avoid a water dragon and throw a kunai in the opposite direction. Her eyes widened when she saw who the blond man was.

"M-Minato-kun?" She said quietly. Minato slipped under the water he was standing on and Kushina saw a huge tidal wave head for him. "Minato-kun!" She yelled loudly. Minato looked in her direction and was surprised to see her. Before he could move, the tidal wave hit his body and washed over him. Suddenly a yellow flash appeared as close to Kushina as possible without touching the barrier. Both Kushina and Minato looked at each other, tears appearing in one and happiness in the other.

"Minato-kun... it is you... stand back." She warned him. When he did so, she pumped her chakra into her zanbato and sliced open a portion of the barrier, just enough for her to jump through. She jumped right into Minato's arms right before the barrier was able to repair itself. Kushina cried into his chest and Minato rubbed her back, whispering soothing words into her ear as her half-melted zanbato lay forgotten next to them.

"It's ok, I'm here now." He told her, glad to have her back in his arms. Kushina felt the warmth that *only Minato* could bring her pass through her entire body. She sorely missed his warmth and the feeling only he could give her.

"I-I missed you." She said in between her sobs, muffled by Minato's chest. Minato continued to rub her back, hoping that it would help her.

"I know, so have I my love." He whispered in her ears, sending chills down her spine.

"Please don't leave me, don't leave me alone again." She cried some more.

"I won't... I promise." He assured her, pulling her back after he calmed down a little. His azure eyes looked down and connected with her coal colored eyes. She blushed at the intensity of his stare causing him to smile and chuckle. "I can't believe after all these years I can still make you do that." He said. Kushina pouted and was about to retort but then realized that his face was getting closer to hers. She decided to reach him half way and stood on the tips of her toes.

When they were only mere inches away, Minato grunted in pain and grimaced as he fell to his knees. Kushina was stricken with worry as she searched his person to find out what was wrong. It didn't take long to see a kunai with a seal bury itself deeper into Minato's skull. It didn't completely enter his skull but it was in deep enough for Minato's eyes to become dull and his wounds to heal and color return to his skin. He grunted in pain and reached into his kunai pouch.

"K-Kushina...chan... get back." He warned. Kushina jumped back and avoided the kunai Minato tried to bury into her abdomen. She was confused until he heard Orochimaru laugh. She glared at him through her tears.

"You bastard..." She growled. Orochimaru only chuckled loudly and jumped back as a long staff impacted on the ground that he was standing on. Kushina flipped back as Minato tried to cut her with his three pronged kunai. She wiped her tears away and picked up her half-melted zanbato, placing both hands on the grip and positioning it in front of her. Minato and Kushina looked at each other, neither wanting to fight the other, but there wasn't much of a choice.

Minato made the first move and disappeared in a yellow flash. Kushina unconsciously smiled as she closed her eyes. She knew Minato well enough to know what he was doing. She spun on her heels and raised her forearm perpendicular to the ground. She was able to block a round house kick and held his leg in place. She then turned around and kicked Minato in his mid-section, sending him flying away from her. She wasn't given time to rest as a kunai scratched her shoulder. She turned back and saw the Second Hokage heading for her.

"**Water style: Water Bullet!**" The Second Hokage yelled before taking in a deep breath.

"Damn..." She cursed under her breath, She jumped over the water bullet that was about to hit her and threw a kunai at the Second Hokage. The Second Hokage parried it but it suddenly exploded, sending the Second Hokage flying backwards. Kushina then took the opportunity to check what she had left. She had about four kunai, two shuriken and about five explosive tags left. She smiled as a plan was quickly put together in her mind. She took out what she needed and prepared to battle.

[*.*.*.*]

Sarutobi was faring just as well as Kushina. He was able to get out of the tree the First Hokage had called forth, and had immediately begun working with his summon, King Emma. The monkey had transformed into a huge staff, divided into smaller staffs that made a cage that protected Sarutobi. Taking the offensive, Sarutobi made the staff stretch out and slam into the First Hokage's face. Now, Sarutobi made a couple of hand signs while the First Hokage ran at him.

"Earth style: Great Mud River Jutsu!" The ground under the First Hokage suddenly became a river of mud and momentarily threw him off balance. Taking advantage of the situation, Sarutobi made more hand signs, ending at the Dragon sign. "Earth style: Earth Dragon bomb Jutsu!" A dragon like head appeared from the mud and opened its mouth to fire concentrated mud at the First Hokage. Sarutobi wasn't done yet though. "Fire style: Fire Dragon Bomb Jutsu!" Sarutobi spit out fire out of his mouth which lit up the concentrated mud balls the mud dragon fired, all aiming for the First Hokage.

A large explosion shook the building they were on to its foundation and when the smoke cleared, Sarutobi saw a small shelter made of wood perfectly intact in place of where the First Hokage was. The makeshift shelter returned to the ground and the First Hokage stood without a scratch. Sarutobi grabbed his staff and ran at The First Hokage and when he was within reach, he swung his staff as hard as he could. The First Hokage saw this coming and brought his hands up to block it.

When the hit connected, the First Hokage shook his head.

"Is that all? You're going to need to do more than that to stop me." The First Hokage told him solemnly. Sarutobi smiled as a pair of arms came from the staff and held onto the First Hokage's arms.

"I know." Without any more words, Sarutobi swung the staff that still held on to the First Hokage and then it let him go and made him fly into the direction of the purple barrier. Before being obliterated by the purple barrier, the First Hokage smiled. Seeing on enemy taken care of, Sarutobi sighed and let his guard down. This would soon be a decision that would forever change his life.

[*.*.*.*]

Kushina ducked under Minato's kunai and kicked his chin, sending him into the air and she slipped back over a water bullet from the Second Hokage. She grabbed two kunai and a shuriken and threw one of each. The Second Hokage jumped into the air, dodging the two weapons. Kushina was expecting this and threw her last kunai right at the Second Hokage's heart. The Second Hokage didn't react quick enough to block it and it struck his heart. He shook his head in disappointment.

"I will not die this way. I don't think you'll be enough to stop me." He told her but Kushina made a random hand sign.

"Oh I'm more than enough." She said and the Second Hokage then heard something coming from his chest. He looked down and saw three explosive tags wrapped inside the grip of the kunai. He smiled and closed his eyes.

"I see... well done." Were the Second Hokage's last words before the explosive tags went off and blew the Second Hokage away; turning him into dust. The corpse of a sound nin came out of the cloud of smoke and fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Kushina was glad that she was able to take out the Second Hokage before he was able to do anything troublesome. She didn't forget about Minato as she picked up her melted zanbato and blocked one of his kunai. She pushed him off and made some hand signs.

"**Wind style: Air Bullet!**" She yelled before she spat out concentrated wind right at Minato. Minato crossed his arms and took the blast head on. His shirt was ripped off but aside from that, nothing else happened after the cloud of dust cleared. Cursing under her breath, Kushina brought her zanbato up and slammed it on top of Minato who blocked it with a three pronged kunai. They struggled for dominance, neither giving an inch. Sweat rolled down Kushina's face as she tried to overcome Minato. Minato on the other hand didn't seem to be trying, almost as if waiting for her to make the next move.

"Kushina-chan... kill me." Minato said, shocking her who gave him the opportunity to shove her back and make her trip on a tile. She fell and looked up from her back and watched as Minato slowly made his way towards her. "Kill me now, I can try to stop myself but eventually I will attack against my will again. So please, just kill me." Minato told her in a passive face but his unshed tears gave away his sadness. After snapping out of her stupor, Kushina furiously shook her head.

"No! I won't do it. I refuse to lose you again!" She yelled stubbornly. Minato sighed as his arm involuntarily raised itself to finish the job. Before he was able to kill Kushina, Kushina swept the feet from under him, did a handspring and jumped away from him. She panted, feeling a bit exhausted from the amount of chakra she used and the amount of physical activity she has done. Another problem was that she was at her wits end; she had no idea how she was going to disable Minato without killing him.

Remembering her ANBU training from long ago, Kushina pumped some chakra into her middle and index finger on her left hand and waited for Minato to get near her. She jumped over Minato's jab and grabbed his shoulders and kicked him in the gut with both feet. He flew across the roof until his back hit the gigantic tree the First Hokage summoned. Kushina ran at him, expecting to finally end this until Minato poof-ed out of existence in a cloud of smoke.

She was shocked for the most part and didn't realize he was in back of her until he kicked her on her back. She took two steps forward and turned around. Kushina grabbed Minato's wrist, stopping it from stabbing her heart just by mere centimeters. He pulled back and charged again. Kushina held strong but was being pushed back. Her back soon hit the tree behind her, surprising her and giving enough time for Minato to stab Kushina with his kunai.

Kushina spit out blood and looked down as she saw the kunai pierce her stomach. She looked back at Minato and saw him crying, his face still stoic.

"I'm sorry." He said lowly. Kushina's head rested on his shoulder and put her left hand on the base of his head.

"So am I..." She said before Minato's body tensed and he fell to the floor, unmoving and a shocked expression over his face.

"H-How?" He asked, too stunned to say anything else. Kushina dropped to her knees, apply pressure onto her open wound in her stomach and smiled.

"I used the paralysis jutsu they teach you when you're in the ANBU Black Ops. I think that's it for me... I don't have a lot of chakra left in me and I think this is a fatal wound, though I could be wrong. Just in case..." Kushina let her tears fall and looked lovingly at Minato one last time before closing her eyes, her smile never deterring. "Good bye my love." She finished as she feel face first to the ground, a small pool of her blood growing under her. Minato could only watch as his one and only love fell over and remained unresponsive, possibly dead.

Minato could feel his anger rise and his will grow tenfold! He was still under the influence of the paralysis jutsu but he knew that once he was free from that, he was going to finish what the old man started... killing Orochimaru. He could feel some movements in the tips of his fingers and toes but it still wasn't enough; he would have to be patient.

[*.*.*.*]

"Sarutobi, look out!" Sarutobi didn't react fast enough because while he had his back turned, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down he saw the blade of the Kisangani Sword pierce him. He looked back and saw King Emma hold the sword's guard from completely entering him. Soon he coughed up some blood and felt his life withering away. He fell to his knees and coughed up some more blood while Orochimaru made his way towards his old teacher.

"Face it old man, this fight is over." Orochimaru was now standing over Sarutobi and picked him up by his neck, raising him up to eye level. "There isn't a single thing you can do now. I will watch this pathetic village burn to the ground and cherish the faces of all the villagers and shinobi of this hell hole." Orochimaru said, too busy to notice Sarutobi making short hand signs.

"I can... ugh, still do this." Sarutobi said weakly as he held Orochimaru firmly by his shoulders. Orochimaru laughed at Sarutobi's stubbornness and was about to comment about it until he saw something appear behind Sarutobi.

"T-The Shinigami..." He said in an incredulous voice. He was soon angered and tried to make the sword cut through Sarutobi but King Emma held on, making sure it didn't go any further. "Stubborn old man! Just drop and die already!" Orochimaru yelled. Sarutobi struggled with his hold on Orochimaru's soul. He was able to take out his arms but the rest was hard to remove.

"I will not give up... I will insure... the safety of this village even at the cost... ugh, of my own life." Sarutobi assured him, struggling with his words. Orochimaru sneered at him and again tried to make the sword cut through him but King Emma wouldn't let go.

Sarutobi was still having trouble holding Orochimaru in place and knew it wouldn't be long before his energy and life disappeared. With one last tug, he finished off the jutsu and cut off the arms off of Orochimaru. He let him go and staggered back and forth, trying to keep his footing. Orochimaru took a leap back and raised his arms. They soon turned purple and he felt them going numb. They fell limply at his sides and were an unhealthy shade of purple. He yelled out in pain and fell to his knees.

"You miserable old man! What have you done to my arms?" He yelled out through his pain. Sarutobi smiled, exhausted from his fight and yet amused by Orochimaru's reaction.

"I have taken from you that of which is important to you. Without your arms, you cannot learn new jutsu, which will ultimately end your dreams of knowing every jutsu known to man." Orochimaru glared at Sarutobi.

"Damn you old man... I swear if you make it through your wounds, I'll guarantee that your death will be slow and painful!" Orochimaru threatened but it earned a chuckle from Sarutobi.

"Even if I were to survive this wound, because I used the Reaper Death Seal, I was going to die anyways."

"You senile old fool...!" That was all Sarutobi was able to hear before his hearing faded and his eyelids became heavy.

"When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew." That was the last words Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Professor and Third Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, said before falling back and hitting the ground. He held a smile on his face, a face which also held a peaceful expression; an expression that showed that he had, in the end, won the fight. King Emma silently paid his respects for his now dead summoner before poof-ing back to his world. Orochimaru loathed his peaceful expression.

"Stubborn old fool." He stated and was about to leave when a sharp kick connected with his face. He skidded across the tiled roof and when he stopped, he looked up and saw Minato standing intimidating over him. Orochimaru cursed under his breath. "How are you going against my influence?" He asked.

"I'm not sure but I'm not letting this opportunity go to waste!" Minato shouted and charged towards Orochimaru, intent on ending everyone's suffering. Instead, Minato jumped back as a golden arrow was shot towards him. He looked to his left and saw a six armed, dark skinned, disfigured man holding a bow. Minato grunted and threw a kunai at the man. The man blocked it with his bow and a laugh. Minato mirthlessly smiled and disappeared in a flash. The six armed man was surprised by this and had no time to react when he felt a presence behind him because Minato kicked his head with a round house kick.

The man was sent off into the distance, right off the edge of the roof. Minato looked for Orochimaru but didn't see him. It was then that he noticed that not only was Orochimaru gone but so had the ominous purple barrier. It didn't take long for ANBU to enter the roof and appear next to Kushina and the Third Hokage. Minato felt pain reach his heart when he remembered Kushina's state and rushed towards her side. He shoved through many shocked ANBU and knelt down in front of his lover. His unshed tears covered his blue eyes as he looked down at Kushina.

"F-Fourth Hokage?" An ANBU with a raven mask asked with uncertainty. "Are you really alive?" Minato didn't answer, he remained silent and still.

"I thought you died after sealing Kyuubi into the demon boy years-" Minato's eyes snapped open, it didn't take long for him to realize who the ANBU was talking about. The ANBU who said that, the one with a raccoon mask, was punched in the gut and, with a quick spin, was given a hard kick to the face. Minato jumped back and stared down the other ANBU ninja.

"Anyone else want to call my son the 'demon boy'?" The other ANBU were shocked by his words but all shook their heads. "Okay, now what the hell are you doing standing around when the Third and Kushina need medical attention? Have I been gone for so long that the ANBU standards have been lowered?" Minato criticized and barked out orders.

A chorus of "Yes Sir!" was heard and the ANBUs quickly went to get Kushina and Sarutobi. After they got them up and transported them to the hospital, Minato was about to follow after them until a giant explosion shook the Earth. Minato looked to where the shaking came from and saw an explosion the size of the Hokage Monument in the horizon. Minato didn't know who was out there or what they were doing but he was about to find out.

**

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**Thanks for all who read and future thanks to those who review!**

**I'm sorry if the fighting isn't as good as others or at all but I tried, it's harder than it seems in all honestly...**

**So anyways, MINATO'S ALIVE! I decided to keep him alive cuz I want a happy family reunion... that will come later... WAY later... Oh yeah...**

**When you saw this "*only Minato*", it means that I will not make Kushina hook up with Zabuza... Why? Because while I was writing this chapter, I realized something...**

**I AM A KUSHINA/MINATO FAN TOO! LOVE THEM TO DEATH LIKE NARUTO/HINATA!  
**

**I'm not sure when it started but this pairing is officially my second favorite pairing, right after Naruto/Hinata and before Shikamaru/Temari... It just seems like an older version of Naruto and Hinata... Except Naruto is Kushina and Hinata is Minato... like Naruto, Kushina was loud and agressive... Minato was calm, cool, smart, but he didn't have the shy problem Hinata has... They just balance each other and is a good pairing in my book!**

**So that's about all I have to say fro now so...**

**Next Chapter: Stay with me, possession taking over! [Also: I'm going to start using some lyrics from different songs to come up with the chapter titles... Guess which song the title is from...]  
**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	23. Stay with me, possession taking over!

**Chapter 23 and it's a killer! I updated a bit earlier as a way to apologize for the late udpate last time!  
**

**Man, this was the hardest chapter to type yet! So much fighting and action and drama in one chapter! DAMN!**

**Here's some review answers-response-thingies...**

**zentary  
2009-10-09 . chapter 22**

_**"interesting very interesting i know minato is basicly a walking corpse can he really stay alive like a normal person?**_

_**altho this is truly an interesting developement you have created with minato being resureccted and staying alive after snake boy left"**_

**Me:**** YEs, I know he's basically a walking corpse, but I plan on doing about it so don't waorry so much about it, k?**

**Skelo  
2009-10-10 . chapter 22**

_**"Omg i love it! i love/hate orochimaru... U help me decide!"**_

**Me: I personally hate Orochimaru but unfortunately, I need him alive... for now...  
By the way, your picture's hilarious! Very nice!**

**animefanbren  
2009-10-11 . chapter 22**

_**"I REALLY, REALLY hope Kushina and Minato live, and that Minato becomes Hokage again, and the villagers and everyone else stops hating Naruto."**_

**Me: Whoa, first I 've seen you write more than, "good chapter", Awesome!...  
Uhm, we'll see how it turns out!**

**Chewie Cookies  
2009-10-12 . chapter 22**

_**"Deal with it, get over it, or choke on it? I think I'll love it, instead, lol. This story is AWESOME, and getting better with each chapter!**_

_**Please, keep up the good work! And give Takeo HELL!"**_

**Me: Cool and can do!**

******That's about it for now... Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! So without further ado...**

******Chapter 23: ****Stay with me, possession taking over!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

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_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"F-Fourth Hokage?" An ANBU with a raven mask asked with uncertainty. "Are you really alive?" Minato didn't answer, he remained silent and still._

_"I thought you died after sealing Kyuubi into the demon boy years-" Minato's eyes snapped open, it didn't take long for him to realize who the ANBU was talking about. The ANBU who said that, the one with a raccoon mask, was punched in the gut and, with a quick spin, was given a hard kick to the face. Minato jumped back and stared down the other ANBU ninja._

_"Anyone else want to call my son the 'demon boy'?" The other ANBU were shocked by his words but all shook their heads. "Ok, now what the hell are you doing standing around when the Third and Kushina need medical attention? Have I been gone for so long that the ANBU standards have been lowered?" Minato criticized and barked out orders._

_A chorus of "Yes Sir!" was heard and the ANBUs quickly went to get Kushina and Sarutobi. After they got them up and transported them to the hospital, Minato was about to follow after them until a giant explosion shook the Earth. Minato looked to where the shaking came from and saw an explosion the size of the Hokage Monument in the horizon. Minato didn't know who was out there or what they were doing but he was about to find out._

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto and Takeo made no sudden moves, not even a sound. His clothes were getting a bit tattered from the intensity of Kyuubi's chakra but Naruto knew it could hold. Naruto felt the adrenaline that usually comes with Kyuubi's chakra fill his whole body and his body was itching to spring into the fight. His mind, however, made his body remained still, wanting to make Takeo make the first move. Takeo smiled widely at the blood lust look Naruto was giving him.

"You know Naruto_-kun_," Takeo started. "You and I aren't so different, one in the same." Naruto sneered at Takeo.

"You and I are nothing alike. You are a snake who uses everyone for your own self-gain. I protect the people I love and do what I think is right. I fight for my friends and family while you fight for yourself. You will never be stronger than me, not as long as I have someone to fight for." Naruto told him. Takeo chuckled and showed his canine teeth.

"But we do contain the Kyuubi and are nothing more than monsters. There is nothing anyone can do or say to change that; we will always be shunned because of what we hold. How about a truce; you join up with me and we leave Konoha. How's that sound?" Takeo asked.

"Sounds vague... what is it exactly you have planned?" Naruto asked, still prepared for anything.

"What I got in mind is not important now, so what do you say?"

"What do I get out of it?" Naruto asked again, still not trusting Takeo.

"I will make sure that your 'precious people' will be safe." Takeo said. Naruto closed his eyes while keeping his other senses on alert. Takeo smiled and waited for Naruto to say something. After a while, Naruto opened his eyes and glared at him.

"I don't think so." He growled, venom evident in his words. Takeo shook his head.

"What a shame, it re-" He jumped back, avoiding Naruto's claw swipe. "Well that was really rude." Takeo commented.

"I don't care, I'm not here to talk but to fight." Naruto yelled as he crouched down and launched himself of the branch. He closed his fist, the demon cloak that surrounded him intensified, and he let it stretch out to hit Takeo while he was still in mid-air. Takeo made his demon cloak arm outstretch to grab on to the nearest tree. He hurriedly pulled himself towards it and Naruto's deadly fist missed. Naruto landed on the tree branch Takeo was just in and sneered. Moving his arm, Naruto made his outstretched hand follow Takeo.

After reaching the tree, Takeo back flipped off it and dodged the fist once again. Takeo laughed as he free-fell on top of Naruto. Naruto pushed himself off that branch and tried to cut Takeo down with his right claw. Takeo used his left claw to grab Naruto's claw, blocking his attack. He then pushed both hands away and spun in mid-air while his tails followed. This action caused the three tails to hit Naruto on the head. He was sent rushing towards ground.

The impact was astounding, the whole ground shook and Naruto made a crater about seven feet in diameter and seven feet in depth. Takeo laughed maniacally as he landed next to the crater Naruto created. He looked into the crater but couldn't see anything because of the cloud of dust. Takeo tilted his head and grunted.

"Sad." He said. He made some hand signs but was interrupted by a sharp punch to the face. He flew back and started skidding on the floor. When he stopped, he saw the demonic claw retract into the cloud of dust. Takeo spat out his loose tooth and smiled, a second later, the tooth he lost was replaced with a new one. He stood and walked towards the crater. It soon turned into a jog, then a run right into a sprint. He jumped into the air and spun while sucking in a lot of air.

"**Wind style: Air Bullet!**" Takeo yelled out and spat out a lot of concentrated air at the center of the cloud of dust.

"**Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!**" The dust cleared and a giant fireball appeared from the center, heading for Takeo. It impacted with the Air Bullet and created a huge explosion. Takeo crossed his arms in front of his body before the explosion and protected himself from it. He fell at rapid speeds to the floor, looking like he had been knocked out. He opened his eyes about twenty feet above the ground and turned his body around so that he would land on his feet. With chakra to cushion the impact, Takeo landed on the ground, causing more chunks of the Earth to rise. He looked around and surveyed his surrounding.

Shaking his head, he jumped into the air and looked down as Naruto popped out of the ground. He sneered and went after Takeo with a tightly closed fist. He threw the fist but Takeo dodged it. Seeing an opening, Takeo wrapped his tail around Naruto's neck and started to spin, taking Naruto with him.

As most know, what goes up must come down. Still spinning, Takeo and Naruto soon stopped in mid-air for a second before descending. Satisfied with the speed, Takeo let Naruto go and he hit the ground pretty hard. Not giving him anytime to breathe, Takeo landed on Naruto, shoving him deeper into the ground. Naruto spat out blood and the remaining air in his lungs. Takeo cherished his expression and then drove his hand through Naruto's chest.

"AH!" Naruto's yell echoed through the dense forest. Takeo flipped back and landed a few feet away from Naruto. Naruto grabbed his chest in pain as he coughed up blood. He willed his body to stand, staggering a bit but once he stood, he glared at Takeo. "Bastard." He said lowly. Naruto felt Kyuubi heal him and the hole that was once in his chest was no more.

Without prior warning, Naruto disappeared from Takeo's sight. Takeo blinked a couple of times before preparing himself. As much as he was hurting, Naruto was always dangerous when not visible, no matter what his state was.

"**Demonic art:** **Fire style: Hell's Disk!"**Takeo turned in time to see a disk made of green fire was coming his way. He leaped back but it was barely far enough to avoid it. Though the attack didn't touch him, when it impacted on the ground, it caused rocks and pieces of the Earth to fly up and hit Takeo. Some hit him in the face and other various places. One was able to penetrate his skin. The attack also destroyed most of the trees near it, creating a plain.

Takeo growled in pain but held it in. Naruto appeared right in front of Takeo and launched a fist to his face. Takeo ducked under and brought his knee up to Naruto's stomach. Naruto spat out some of his spit but recovered quickly as he connected an upper cut to Takeo's chin. Takeo took three steps back, after which he spun on his right heel, raised his left foot up and drove his left ankle into Naruto's cheek.

After the spinning heel kick connected, Takeo charged after Naruto while he was still down. Naruto had other ideas as he rolled into a single handstand and spun on it with his right leg extended. Takeo was moving too fast to stop right away so he settled for blocking the kick.

Naruto pushed himself off the ground and brought his left leg down. Takeo blocked it too but wasn't prepared for the third kick. After that, Naruto flipped back, kicking Takeo into the air. Not stopping there, he flipped forward until he was doing a handstand under Takeo. He shoved himself off the ground and repeatedly kicked Takeo in the chin, taking him higher into the air. After the seventeenth kick, Naruto made a modified ram sign.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" He then grabbed on to Takeo's ankles while the three clones he summoned grabbed on to his ankles and then each other's. The last clone started to twirl around while still holding the ankles of one clone, making the others and Takeo follow. Comfortable with the speed they were going, the real Naruto let Takeo go and sent him crashing into the ground with unbelievable ferocity. Dust filled the air and blocked Naruto's vision. Takeo felt like his chest was on fire and that his back was broken in several places. He shrugged off the feeling and felt Kyuubi's chakra heal his wounds to the best of its ability.

He climbed out of the crater from his fall and looked for Naruto. It didn't take long to find him since he was already running towards him. With lightning fast reflexes, Takeo dodged several claw swipes and launched some of his own. It continued like that for a while, one dodging the others attack and returning an attack and so on. Had somebody been looking at the brutal scene it would have looked like two blurs were clashing with one another; such was the speed and ruthlessness of their movements. Naruto was able to leave a scar right under Takeo's left eye while Takeo was able to punch Naruto in the face. Naruto flew back and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Takeo dodged an outstretched claw and spun so he was facing Naruto. Naruto then ran straight for Takeo.

Takeo sucked in his breath and when he felt that Naruto was close enough, he let out a piercing yell. Naruto stopped in his tracks and feel to his knees while covering his ears. Takeo smirked after his attack but it disappeared when Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. Takeo growled at this and looked around for took out a kunai and through it to where he last sensed Naruto.

Naruto jumped out of his hiding place and started to run around Takeo. Once again, it looked like there were multiple Naruto's surrounding Takeo. Takeo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then made hand signs too quick for Naruto to see and clapped his hands together over his head. Electricity started to run through his hands and then he parted both hands. A thin layer of electricity connected both hands before it was suddenly compressed into an unstable ball of lightning.

"**Lightning style: Lightning Ball!**" Takeo brought both hands down and released his jutsu. The nearest tripped over the impact of the jutsu, barely avoiding it. He spun and jumped back, off the ground just as Takeo drove a hard kick into the ground, right where he just was. Naruto and Takeo were both breathing heavily, both clearly fatigued from their fight. Takeo chuckled as he made the same hand signs from before.

"As you can see, you're not the only one who learned something new this past month. **Lightning style: Lightning Ball!**" Naruto's eyes widened and held his hand out in front of him while spinning chakra in ihs palm, all going in the same direction. The chakra then turned into a huge disk. When the lightning ball came in contact with the spinning disk, it blended into the disk. Takeo was surprised to say the least. Naruto brought his hand over his head, the spinning lightning disk still in his hand. Naruto smiled and jumped into the air, while up there, throwing the lightning disk at Takeo. Thinking on his feet, made two hand signs.

"**Wind style: Godly wind from the Mountains Jutsu!**" A sudden gale of wind rushed forward, causing the lightning disk to falter before changing its course and hitting a nearby tree. Naruto held his ground as the gale passed by. After that, they returned to just glaring at each other, both panting. Naruto smiled as he noticed that one of Takeo's three tails disappeared.

"Don't think that you won just yet. I still have enough power and chakra to ensure victory!" Takeo wasted no time as he rushed Naruto with a claw reared back. When he was within range, Takeo swung his claw forward. Naruto ducked under it but Takeo shoved his knee into his face. Naruto yelped in pain as he felt his nose break. He staggered back but Takeo wasn't going to let him off that easy. He punched him in the stomach, making him double over in pain. Takeo then sent an upper cut to his chin, making him rise and stagger back again. Takeo jump and spun in the air before sending a spinning heel kick to Naruto's face.

Naruto was pushed back and he landed a few feet from Takeo. Takeo panted with a smile when he saw Naruto having difficulty standing. His attention was diverted from Naruto when he heard something move in the bushes a couple of feet away from him.

Miyu appeared at the fringe of the battle zone carrying both of Naruto's swords in her mouth. It was a struggle but Miyu was determining to bring Naruto's swords to him. Miyu, still oblivious of Takeo's presence, was suddenly blown away by a powerful gust of wind. She had released the swords handle and sent flying in the opposite direction of Naruto. Takeo laughed and picked up both swords. He looked at them and laughed some more.

Miyu was not about to let Takeo use her master's swords against him, so she ran at him, jumped up and bit his neck. Takeo grunted in pain as Miyu drove her teeth deeper into Takeo's neck. Dropping the sword on his left hand, he formed a fist with it and started punching Miyu's head. When she wouldn't let go after the first punch, Takeo kept punching her. Miyu yelped in pain with every blow but didn't let go, all for the sake of Naruto.

Having had enough of Miyu, Takeo transformed his chakra into lightning and shocked Miyu. Miyu immediately let go and was blown away. She landed onto the ground hard and twitched in pain from Takeo's attack. Takeo grabbed his neck once Miyu let go and tried to stop blood from escaping. Once again Kyuubi's chakra sealed up his wound and he glared at Miyu.

"Worthless fox!" He yelled in anger. "**Wind style: Air Bullet!**" Takeo said after sucking in his breath and releasing concentrated air right at Miyu. It impacted with her body and sent her back even more.

Naruto was more than shocked, no words could describe how he felt when he saw Takeo blast that Air Bullet at Miyu. He somehow teleported over to where Miyu was and held the small fox in his hands. He felt tears stain his eyes when Miyu didn't respond to him.

"Miyu?" Still nothing. "Miyu, don't die... please don't..." Naruto closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. He stood and wiped the tears from his eyes with his forearm. He turned around and faced Takeo. He opened his eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Takeo. "**You!**" Naruto shouted, his voice sounding like it combined with Kyuubi's. "**You did this!**" Takeo took a step back, a bit intimidated by Naruto. Naruto bent down to all fours.

"**You try to take over my life... hurt the one I love... threatened my home and took my friend away from me... For that I will never forgive you and I WILL END YOU!**" Naruto charged up to Takeo and before he was able to react, he punched him right in his face. Takeo was sent spinning back, dropping the swords as he went. With his newfound speed, Naruto was behind Takeo before the silver-haired ninja had even coughed up the blood from his previous attack. He hit Takeo in the back with a thunderous roundhouse kick, sending Takeo hurtling across the expanse before being violently brought to a halt by an enormous tree which cracked under the impact.

Takeo could feel every fiber of his being, and every fiber hurt. He cursed under his breath as he slowly stood with the help of the tree he crashed into, and looked behind him, snarling when he saw that he had lost another tail, the only remaining one looking weak and dead. He cursed again and looked at Naruto. He was panting and seemed to be in pain as well, but unlike Takeo he still had all three tails, and he looked like he could grow a fourth from the venomous glare he had his clone fixed with. Deciding to finish this in one go, he summoned up a lot of Kyuubi's chakra and focused it in his hands while making hand signs.

"This is it, we will find out who is destined to live on while the other one dies!" Naruto could tell what he was doing so he did the same.

"I guess so." He said, his voice returning back to normal. At the same time, both shinobis yelled.

**"Elemental style:****Bane Way Molten Whirlpool Jutsu!"** Water and fire swirled around both shinobi's hands and started to increase its speed. Both closed their open palms at the same time, causing both whirlpools of fire and water to rush forward. When the near-identical whirlwinds hit each other it caused an explosion the size of the Hokage Monument.

_'Shit!'_ Naruto and Takeo thought simultaneously as the explosion surrounded them. When the explosion cleared, Takeo was panting heavily while looking at the sky. He had very little chakra left and he couldn't sense Naruto's chakra. He laughed as he realized that he had won. He stood up with great difficulty and he looked around. He smiled at the amount of damage he and Naruto had inflicted. He then heard the sounds of running from behind him and when he turned around he was shocked to see Naruto with a spiralling ball of chakra in his hands. Not having the strength to dodge it, Takeo crossed his arms and Naruto forced the spiraling chakra into his chest.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto yelled. Takeo resisted for a while before the force of Naruto's attack was too much to handle. He was sent flying backwards and crashed into a boulder; a deafening crack echoing out over the deformed battleground. The amount of force behind the impact caused the boulder to crumble, and Takeo fell with a thud, his body in more pain than he could handle. He closed his left eye and raised his hand to his head. Naruto, also looking winded, was heading for him. Takeo rolled to his stomach and looked for anything to use. About five feet away lay one of Naruto's swords.

With some difficulty, Takeo stood and turned to look at Naruto. Takeo rolled out of the way as Naruto tried to knock him out with a upper cut. He jumped for the sword and when he got it, he rolled again and stood on his feet. Using the sudden adrenaline, Takeo rushed for Naruto, surprising him.

"This is where you die!" Takeo yelled in his hysteria. Naruto, reacting on instinct only and sheer will power, barely dodged the jab, the gleaming metal scratching his side. Ignoring the pain, and with precise timing, he brought both his right knee and right elbow together on Takeo's elbow, breaking it. Naruto then spun around, grabbing the sword with his right hand, and stabbed the sword backwards into Takeo's heart. Takeo was surprised at the sudden movement and started to cough up blood, a lot more than before.

Takeo feel back and felt all feeling under his neck starting to disappear.

"Bastard." He said in his last moments before death. He brought his hands up and made odd hand signs he saw him do before. "Now your little lover will pay for what you've done." Takeo said with a smile. Realizing what he meant, Naruto got mad. He picked Takeo up, grabbed the hand of the sword and kicked Takeo off it. In a swift motion, he compressed Kyuubi's chakra against his blade.

"**Demon Art: Slicing Chakra Invocation!**" Instead of releasing the compressed chakra, Naruto sliced Takeo in half with it still on the blade. With Kyuubi's chakra, the cut was a lot smoother and less resistant. The cut also obliterated Takeo, the only thing that remained of him was his laugh which echoed through the barren forest. Naruto felt Kyuubi's chakra from Takeo's body return to him, gaining a bit of strength.

Naruto grunted in pain as he picked up his other sword, internally glad that he got them back. Remembering who brought them, Naruto spun on his heels and saw Miyu about fifty feet away, remaining still and lifeless. Naruto forced his legs to run towards Miyu, ignoring the pain. He staggered a bit but fell to his knees when he reached Miyu. Naruto felt his heart jerk when Mioyu didn't make a move, her chest not moving. Naruto hugged Miyu as tightly as he could without crushing her body.

"Miyu..." Was all Naruto said, unsure of what he should say. Without his knowing, a small amount of red chakra left his hands and transferred onto Miyu. It traveled around her whole body before it faded away into nothing, still oblivious to Naruto. Slowly but surely, Miyu's chest was moving, if only slightly, but Naruto felt it. His eyes widened in shock and he looked down at Miyu. Her chest was moving, showing that she was breathing. Naruto inwardly cheered as he stood up. He smiled and ran for Konoha. It wasn't long before he collapsed and fell on his back, making sure that Miyu was ok. He looked up at the blue sky and only heard the songs the birds sang.

_'Please let Hinata be ok!'_He thought before losing consciousness.

[*.*.*.*]

Sasuke ducked under Hinata's open palm strike to his chest. If it wasn't for his Sharingan, Sasuke knew he would've been dead long ago. It seemed that Hinata was fighting for keeps, and he wasn't about to let her win. He flipped back and away from Hinata's leg sweep and made some hand signs.

"**Clone Jutsu!**" Two Sasuke appeared next to the original one and charged after Hinata. Hinata ran past the first one, knowing that it was only an illusion and ducked under a roundhouse kick from the second Sasuke and kicked him in the face. The Sasuke in the back and the one Hinata ran by disappeared as the Sasuke she hit took a couple of steps back. He grunted, getting a little more than aggravated from fighting Hinata. It wasn't the fact that he was losing to Hinata, well not completely, but the fact that they have been fighting for twenty-three minutes non-stop and she wasn't even winded. Sasuke felt a drop of sweat roll down his cheek and felt his breathing deepen. Hinata, on the other hand, look like she just got out of her home.

_'This isn't right. She should be as tired as me.'_ He wasn't given any more time to think as Hinata was once again on him, throwing open palm after open palm. Sasuke was barely able to avoid all of them and throw some of his own, careful not to hurt her too badly. He knew Naruto would kill him if he hurt Hinata too badly. He spun to the left and kicked Hinata on her ribs, making some space between the two. Sasuke panted and he fell to his knees. He needed a break or else he would collapse from exhaustion.

Sasuke suddenly noticed that Hinata's legs were twitching a little. It showed him that she was in fact tired too but something was making her keep going, apparently, it was an involuntary thing. Hinata ran at Sasuke and reared her fist back. Sasuke, tired but prepared returned to his fighting stance. Hinata sent her punch forward but Sasuke parried it with his left arm. Sasuke's eye widened in pain and he fell to his knees, rubbing his left arm as he lost feeling in it.

_'What the hell?'_ Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw electricity pass through both of Hinata's arms. It suddenly occurred to him that Hinata somehow was able to turn the chakra in his arms into electricity and create some sort of barrier of electricity around them. He smiled a little, amazed by the level of chakra control Hinata had. He hated that she seemed a little more advanced than him but couldn't help but feel a little proud of his teammate.

Hinata wasted no time as she ran at Sasuke, preparing to end the fight. Sauke grunted as he stood, the paralysing effect on his left arm starting to spread to his torso. He ducked under her kick and jumped back from her fist. Sasuke dropped to his knees but Hinata still wouldn't let him rest. She was too close for him to dodge her attacks so he prepared himself to block the blow. Suddenly, Hinata's speed slowed down and her eyes closed.

"I'm... so glad." She said weakly as she fell forward. Sasuke caught her with his good arm and watched her breathing become shallow. It started to deepen and deepened until it looked like she stopped breathing all together.

"Hinata?" Sasuke asked, getting no response from said person. A mental alarm rang in Sasuke head.

_'She's not breathing!'_ He thought as he picked Hinata up and with his remaining strength, ran off towards the hospital. Half way through the forest, Sasuke saw a yellow flash pass by him, scaring him at first but when nothing happened, he continued his way towards the hospital, praying that it was still intact.

It took another three minutes before he reached the hospital at top speed. He burst through the doors and went up to the front desk.

"Help, my comrade collapsed and I think she's gone through cardiac arrest!" Sasuke yelled as nurses and doctors crowded around him. Nurses and doctors immediately ran around, grabbing things they needed. One nurse brought a gurney and Sasuke gently placed Hinata on it and watched as nurses placed breathing masks on her and talking about her symptoms. Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and sat near a chair. The ninja life was a stressful one.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto was, for the third time in his life, woken from the sounds of a machine with a repetitive beeping. Naruto grunted as he clenched his fists tight and smashed the beeping machine until it stopped beeping. Naruto happily sighed as he turned to his side, trying to go back to sleep. A fake cough grabbed his attention and pulled him out of his slumber. He jumped off his bed but soon regretted it as his entire body collapsed onto the floor. He tried to stand but his arms were still tired from his fight with Takeo.

Naruto felt hands go under his arm and pick him up and place him back on his bed. He looked up and saw Sasuke with a small, tiny smile on his face.

"So you're awake now huh?" Sasuke asked in a tired voice. Naruto could tell he had fought hard, against who, he could only imagine.

"Yeah, I'm still a bit sore from my fight." Naruto said, grunting in pain every now and then.

"I can see that." After a moment of silence, Sasuke conitnued to speak. "So you won huh?" Naruto nodded with a tired smile.

"Yup, that bastard shouldn't bother us anymore. Not in this life time or the next." Naruto stated, leaning back on his pillow and placing both hands behind his head. Sasuke shook his head with a smile, he knew Naruto wouldn't have changed. A sudden thought came into Naruto's mind, making him sit up straight. "By the way, what happened after I left?" Naruto asked in a rush. Sasuke looked away and coughed in his hand. He then closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"I'm not going to lie to you Naruto. After you left, Hinata tried to go after you to stop you so I had to fight her to keep her off your trail. Now, before you ask, no I didn't go all out so relax, she's safe." Sasuke heard Naruto sigh in relief. "But here's what happened, we were fighting for almost half an hour straight, non-stop and she was not even winded. It was odd and the only sign of her exhaustion was the fact that her muscles looked like they were about to give in.

"After the half hour, she suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness. And..." Sasuke stopped and looked away again, not making Naruto feel better.

"And what Sasuke? What happened after that?" Naruto asked, so close to the edge of his bed that he was about to fall off.

"Her breathing deepened until it stopped completely." Naruto felt his heart stop and his mind blank out. "I was able to get her here before she was able to die and the doctors were..."

"Where is she?" Naruto asked in a low voice.

"Naruto you got to understand..."

"There's nothing to understand, just tell me where she is." Naruto asked again, his voice heavy with worry and annoyance. Sasuke saw his hair become spikier and the whisker marks on his face thicken, making him think twice about denying the blonde the information he sought.

"I'll show you where she's resting if you calm down. This is a hospital and if you blow up now, it'll only hurt you and the others here." Sasuke said, trying to calm Naruto down. Naruto took a while but he calmed down soon enough.

"Ok, now show me where she is."

[*.*.*.*]

Minato looked around the room, taking in the smell and look. It smelled just like it did over twelve years ago; of ink and freshly printed paper. He headed for his desk and saw a pile of old paperwork signed and ready to be filed. He sat down on his chair, closed his eyes and let memories flood his mind. His moment of piece was disturbed when someone suddenly appeared in the room.

"So I'm guessing you came back because you missed the thrill of the job." Minato didn't need to open his eyes to see who it was.

"Not in so many words." Minato retorted. Jiraiya chuckled and walked behind the desk and sat on the window behind Minato. Minato opened his eye and looked behind him without turning his head.

"I'm guessing you didn't just come here to say hello." Jiraiya sighed and nodded his head. "So you know the old man died?" Jiraiya nodded again.

"He died a noble death." Jiraiya commented. Minato closed his eyes again and sighed.

"Don't we all." He leaned back and brought his feet above the desk. "So what exactly do you want Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Nothing much, just wanted to know if you were going to become the Hokage again." Minato moaned in wonder.

"Nope." Came the simple reply.

"I understand. I wouldn't want to be the Kage of a village who shunned my son." Minato shook his head.

"Now now, that's not why I'm not going to be the Hokage again." This comment surprised Jiraiya.

"W-What? Why not then?" Jiraiya asked, getting over his stupor.

"Well, my time of greatness passed already. Besides the fact of the whole village-shunning-son thing, it wouldn't be a good idea to come out into the open... at least, not yet."

"But this village needs a Kage... we need you." Jiraiya told Minato but he shrugged it off.

"Well sorry to say this but I'm not doing it. It'll only confuse everyone and people will divide into people who think I'm really alive and those who think I'm a fake. Either way wouldn't be good for Konoha." Minato explained to Jiraiya. Before he was given a chance to speak, Minato beat him to it. "If you need a Kage, why not find your other teammate, Tsunade." Jiraiya was taken aback by the sudden suggestion.

"Why her?" Minato opened his eyes, stood, walked up to Jiraiya, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well obviously Orochimaru won't accept the title now and you..." Minato held back his laughter. "Well anyways no, Tsunade is the better choice. Even if you were able to convince me to be Hokage again, we'd still need her." Minato walked away from his old teacher to look at the Hokage monument, also known as the Great Stone Faces.

"Why?" Jiraiya asked. Minato sighed, Jiraiya was full of questions on this day.

"This is the last question I answer before I leave. Two people are currently in a coma because of the passing war. Two of which are important and the doctors we have here aren't experienced enough to handle the job. Only someone of Tsunade's expertise could possible help heal them. Besides that, we'll need all the help we could possibly get. The other Hidden Villages might think to attack us at our weakest. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go visit one of the two people in a coma." Minato disappeared in a flash of yellow, leaving Jiraiya alone again.

"You better know what you're doing kid." Jiraiya then disappeared in a sudden whirlwind of leaves and wind.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto couldn't move, he couldn't even breathe. He remained at the door of Hinata's room, his eyes glued on her body. There were about five machines connected to her on one side, all helping her breathe or relax. There was another two machines on the other side, one was the heart monitor and the other one was one Naruto has never seen before. Sasuke looked at Naruto in worry, wondering how he'll react to this.

After ten minutes of just standing at the door, Naruto finally moved next to Hinata's bed. He sat on the chair nearest to him and moved it so he was as close to Hinata as he could. Sasuke moved to his side and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Naruto's shoulders started to move as did his whole body. Sasuke looked closer and saw tears falling down his cheek. Naruto then let his head fall on the bed and he grabbed Hinata's hand.

"Naruto..." Sasuke took his hand off Naruto's shoulder and shook his head, deciding to tell Naruto about his mother and the Third Hokage another time. He walked to the door and before he left, he took one last look at Naruto who was now sitting up and looking at Hinata. He then walked out of the door, closed it and stood there, making sure his friend had some alone time with his girlfriend.

Back in the room, Naruto wasn't sure what to think.

_"Now before you enter the room Naruto, you gotta know that every doctor tried their best to heal Hinata. She's ok for now..." After Sasuke opened the door and Naruto saw Hinata connected to various machines. "But doctors don't know how long until she recovers. Some even think she'll never wake up again."_

Sasuke's words stung in Naruto's heart; there was a chance that the love of his life would never wake again. At the thought, more tears sprang to life in his eyes. Clenching his fist, Naruto slammed it into the nearby nightstand, careful to make sure that he didn't break it. Naruto pulled down his mask, which was given to him by Sasuke, and sucked in some air to stop his crying or at least to reduce it.

"H-Hinata-hime..." He said quietly. A small 'yip' sounded through the room and Naruto turned his head to the window to see Miyu trying to climb through it. Naruto immediately stood to get her before she fell off. "You crazy fox, we're in the fourth floor of the hospital and you pull this stunt?" Miyu didn't answer, just kept looking at something. Naruto followed her eyes and saw that she was looking at Hinata's still form.

"You came to see how Hinata's going didn't you?" Miyu still didn't move or look away, if anything, her stare intensified. Naruto sighed and sat back down and the chair as he watched Miyu crawl to Hinata. Her left paw was wrapped in bandages and she walked in a limp, but she still reached Hinata. She snuggled up to her neck and lay down, whining as if knowing exactly what's wrong. As odd as it sounded to himself, Naruto was a bit envious of Miyu; able to climb into bed with Hinata. He sighed as he grabbed Hinata's hand again and gave it a small squeeze. Naruto felt Hinata squeeze his hand back and he gasped.

"Hinata-hime?" Hinata's body then started to twitch as her peaceful expression suddenly turned into a painful one. Her heartbeat also started to quicken and the monitor's beeping grew louder. She groaned in pain and her twitching worsened. Miyu jumped off her and looked on in fear. Naruto ran off the room and yelled out,

"I need a nurse here NOW!" Sasuke was the first to react and ran into the room. It didn't take long for five nurses to appear and see Hinata's body twitching. The nurses ran into the room and started to examine her. Three nurses held Hinata down as to not hurt herself and the fourth nurse forced some pills into her. The fifth nurse walked up to Naruto with a scowl in her face.

"What did you do to her?" She asked, clearly mad beyond reason. Naruto stammered, not completely sure what he did, hoping he himself didn't hurt Hinata. The nurse brought her hand up to slap Naruto but was stopped by a voice that had authority in it.

"Touch the boy and you'll be the one needing medical attention." Naruto, Sasuke, who was about to stop the nurse, and the nurse turned to the doorway to see a stoic Hiashi standing in it.

"B-But this boy..."

"Did nothing; what's happening to my daughter is not his fault. What it is I am unsure of but it is clearly not this boys fault, now leave." Hiashi said, his voice leaving no room for argument. The nurse scowled a bit before leaving the room.

"You are right Hyuuga-sama, Hinata's body just went into shock and her body just acted on its own for some reason." One nurse explained while Hinata's spasms lessoned by the second.

"Miss, can you please tell me what's wrong with her?" Naruto asked in desperation. The nurse wanted to refuse at first but she knew Hiashi would probably ask anyways so she answered.

"It appears that she was injected with some unknown serum some time ago. The serum would usually just poison the person and after a week, it would slowly kill them. In this situation, there was chakra applied to it. To put it simply, with the proper hand signs, the injector would be able to paralyze her or control her. From what we've been told, Hinata-sama was forced to fight, even when she would've have normally tired out, she kept going up against her will. She was soon released from the injector's influence and fell unconscious from chakra exhaustion and from her physical strain.

"After collapsing, the serum released a toxin into her brain and her heart which put her into cardiogenic shock. Uchiha-san was confused when he thought Hinata-sama went into caridac arrest. Cardiac arrest is the abrupt interruption of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively, while cardiogenic shock is based upon an inadequate circulation of blood due to primary failure of the ventricles of the heart to function effectively.

"What the serum did was stop the perfusion in the tissue, leaving insufficient levels of oxygen and nutrients, stopping her heart. Luckily for her, Uchiha-sama was able to bring her here before we were unable to help her at all. The serum also has a second effect. It is now, for a lack of a better word, infused with her brain and we cannot remove it without it damaging it. This serum is never been heard of, and the only one with the expertise to be able to successfully remove the serum is Tsunade of the Sannin." Naruto was barely able to follow what the nurse was saying but got the point of it. Sasuke understood it completely as did Hiashi who nodded his head.

"So how long will she be out for?"

"All she needs now is rest and maybe, just maybe she'll awake in a couple of months, maybe more." The nurse said sombrely as she and the other nurses walked out of the room. Naruto looked at Hinata while Miyu climbed up and returned to her place on Hinata's chest. Hinata was once again still but breathing, making Naruto calm down slightly. He sat back down next to her while Hiashi also made his way towards her. Sasuke was there too but didn't make a comment.

"Do you think she'll wake up?" Naruto asked.

"I am unsure but she will need to soon." Hiashi said, confusing Naruto.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"Because if she does not wake up soon, the Hyuga Elders will make her younger sister the Hyuga Heir." Naruto looked at Hiashi in shock.

"That's ridiculous!" Hiashi scowled at him.

"Watch your tongue boy. While I do respect you I also expect you to respect the clan I run." Hiashi retorted. Naruto growled in anger but bit his tongue, knowing that it wouldn't do to argue with him, especially at a time like this. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of back in the Hyuga Clan. When you get the chance, please update me on my daughter's state." Hiashi didn't wait for Naruto or anyone else to answer, knowing that someone would anyways. Either way, Naruto nodded his head.

"I'll go too; someone needs to let Kakashi-sensei know how everyone is." Sasuke stood and patted Naruto on the shoulder before leaving again. Naruto didn't respond, his mind too worried about Hinata to think of something else.

"Hinata-hime."

[*.*.*.*]

Minato was passing by the room on the fourth floor in a genjutsu, not needing everyone to gape at him and ask him unneccessary questions. While passing the seventh room, something yellow caught his attention. He turned his head and saw a kid with spiky blond hair sitting near a hospital bed with a sleeping Hyuga girl in it. He takes a closer look and was surprised to see that the blond kid was his son.

Minato was also surprised that he was up and walking about. In the condition he found his son in, he shouldn't have been able to stand, let alone make his way to a different room. He was about to go in but Naruto started to speak.

"Hinata-hime, please don't die... Don't leave me." Naruto cleared his voice, trying to stop more tears from falling. "I need you here more than anyone else; you're the only one who can make my day brighter, more bearable..." His son was full of surprises; Minato didn't know he had a girlfriend already. Naruto chuckled all of a sudden and cleared his throat one more time.

"_Love of mine some day you will die  
But I'll be close behind  
I'll follow you into the dark_" Naruto sang softly, almost in a trance like way.  
_  
No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white  
Just our hands clasped so tight  
Waiting for the hint of a spark  
If heaven and hell decide  
That they both are satisfied  
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs_

_If there's no one beside you  
When your soul embarks  
Then I'll follow you into the dark..._" Naruto's tears spilled from his eyes as a smile appeared on his face, knowing that the lyrics he was singing were true. Minato was speechless at what he was witnessing.  
_  
In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule  
I got my knuckles brusied by a lady in black  
And I held my toungue as she told me  
"Son fear is the heart of love"  
So I never went back_

_If heaven and hell decide  
That they both are satisfied  
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs_

_If there's no one beside you  
When your soul embarks  
Then I'll follow you into the dark_

_You and me have seen everything to see  
From Konoha and Kumo to Kiri  
And the soles of your shoes  
Are all worn down  
The time for sleep is now  
It's nothing to cry about  
Cause we'll hold each other soon  
In the blackest of rooms..._" Naruto picked his right hand up and caressed Hinata's cheek, remembering her soft skin under his.  
_  
If heaven and hell decide  
That they both are satisfied  
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs_

_If there's no one beside you  
When your soul embarks  
Then I'll follow you into the dark  
Then I'll follow you into the dark_" Naruto finished as he laid his head down next to Hinata, his tears no longer shedding but were drying up on his cheeks. Minato sighed, and walked away, not wanting to disrupt his son's moment. He was saddened by how cruel fate was towards his son. It seemed as though he would live a hard life; one that he would be required for him to prepare himself for.

Minato opened the door to the room of his lover, Kushina. Fortunately for him, she wasn't going to die, however because of the amount of blood loss and the severity of chakra exhaustion she had suffered, Kushina wouldn't be waking up anytime soon either. What he needed now was Tsunade to check up on not only Kushina but also now on Hinata. It would be difficult, but Minato knew if anyone could find Tsunade, it would be Jiraiya. Minato looked outside the window and up to the sky as he sat down next to Kushina, wondering how long Jiraiya would take to find her. He grabbed Kushina's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Hopefully before it's too late." Both father and son sat near the love of their lives, each thinking the same thought at the same time...

_'Please wake up soon!'_

_

* * *

_

**So how was the fight, both of them? It was my first major fight I think... Well it's the longest anyways...**

**How about the plot twist? How twistical was that? haha I made a word!**

**Please tell me about this chapter in a review, no flames though... Constructive criticism yes, flames no...  
**

**So ends the Chunin Exams arc and begins the Tsunade Search Arc! Yeah!**

**On a side note, please don't be mad at me for what happened to poor Hinata and Kushina... Like I mentioned before, Hinata is my favorite Naruto girl and Kushina is now officially my second favorite... If they were ok, then there basically wouldn't be a need for her... So yeah...**

**Also, the song Naruto sang is called "I'll follow you into the dark" by Death Cab For Cutie, awesome cong... check it out...  
**

**Next Chapter: Trouble with the Sannin...  
**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it or if you love it, then Love it! heh heh...**


	24. Trouble with the Sannins

**Hey... Uhm, I decided not to re-write the story... Too much work and for the little time I had people ask me, I got so much people saying that the story's fine so I'm not going to do it...**

**I'm also not going to do the whole review thing this chapter... why? not sure but I'm not...**

**Anyways, here's chapter 24!**

**Chapter 24: Trouble with the sannins..._ [Told ya the chapter titles might change...]_**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto... you should know that...**

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_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_Minato opened the door to the room of his lover, Kushina. Fortunately for him, she wasn't going to die, though because of the amount of blood loss and of chakra exhaustion, Kushina would't be waking up anytime soon either. What he needed now was Tsunade to check up on not only Kushina but now on Hinata. It would be difficult but Minato knew if anyone could find Tsunade, it would be Jiraiya. Minato looked outside the window and up to the sky as he sat down next to Kushina, wondering how long Jiraiya would take to find her. He grabbed Kushina's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze._

_"Hopefully before it's too late." Both father and son sat near the love of their lives, each thinking the same thought at the same time..._

_'Please wake up soon!'_

[*.*.*.*]

Three days have passed since Kushina and Hinata have been in a coma and it has been a rough three days. Naruto never left Hinata's side unless it was to use the bathroom or to occasionally visit his mother. He had heard from Sasuke that his mother was also in the hospital. At first Naruto panicked and ran straight for his mother room, but when he found her in her own coma, he calm down but felt even worse. Not only was his girlfriend in a coma but now his mother was in one too. Naruto found it odd that whenever he entered his mother's room a yellow flash would disappear almost immediately. He asked Jiraiya what that was about but Jiraiya told him he was probably seeing things.

Naruto sighed as he let his head rest on his forearm that laid on the side of the bed Hinata was currently on. In about two days, he was going to go to the Third's funeral. After finding out the old man had died left Naruto empty and sadden. It seemed to him that everyone close to him was getting hurt or dying. He cursed his luck and wondered if all these bonds were worth the pain he was feeling.

Naruto heard the door behind him click open so he turned and saw Gaara walk in. Gaara walked up to Hinata's bed before sitting in the vacant chair next to Naruto. It suddenly clicked in Naruto's mind why it was he formed so many bonds. If it wasn't for them, he probably would've turned out like Gaara before he opened up. Naruto smiled as he gripped Hinata's hand as tight and gentle as he could.

"I've been told that friends visit other friends when they are in the hospital." Gaara said as emotionless as ever. Naruto chuckled at this.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was just a bit worried about..." Naruto was interrupted by Gaara when he lifted his hand up.

"It is alright..." Gaara put his hand down and looked at Hinata. "I was told that you never left this room unless completely necessary. I don't quite understand the reason behind it but I do understand that this girl is very important to you." Gaara said. Naruto nodded and placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"Thanks for understanding." Gaara nodded his head and Naruto returned his hand to his side. After a few moments of silence, Naruto cleared his throat."So... how was your fight?" Naruto asked.

"I lost. After a few moments of fighting, it was obvious that neither Shukaku or your giant summon was going to get the upper hand any time soon. So your clone jumped off the head of the giant tiger and went inside Shukaku's head to bury me out. After a struggle between the sand, the clone was able to take my head out of the sand. He tried to wake me but was unable to comlpetely wake me so he instead punched me a couple of times until I did. I woke up with a headache but other than that, Shukaku receded back into me and the war between Oto and Konoha was over by then." Gaara held his head in slight pain to emphasize his point.

"Suna will have some debts to return but because it was clear that it was Orochimaru and not the actual Fourth Hokage who set up the alliance with Oto, we will not be going to war with each other." Gaara finished saying. Naruto smiled at shook his head.

"Crazy world we live in, huh Gaara?" Gaara also nodded his head, knowing what he meant. "So what happened to your brother and sister?"

"My sister fought that one lazy nin again but he won the fight this time. My brother fought the one who can control bugs. The bug nin was barely able to beat him but luckily no permanent damage was done to either." Gaara told Naruto.

"Thank goodness." Naruto leaned back on his chair with a sigh. Another conversation soon followed afterwards and the two talked until Jiraiya popped into the room through the window.

"Yo kid, I know this is a bad time but you and me need to leave Konoha for a while to find my old teammate." Jiraiya said.

"No." Naruto didn't fall out of beat of his conversation with Gaara as he answered the Sannin. Unfortunately for him, Jiraiya wasn't taking 'no' as an answer.

"Too bad kid, you're coming anyways." Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's collar and continued to drag him out the room through the window but Naruto had other ideas. He slid out of his jacket and kicked Jiraiya out of the room before he was able to do anything. Naruto slapped his hands together in a way that most people clean their hands from dust. He sat back down on his chair but wasn't able to continue his conversation becuase Jiraiya returned, sitting on the window sill.

"Come on kid, I need you to come with me." Naruto seemingly thought about it before shaking his head.

"I already told you no, now leave me alone." Jiraiya sighed, not wanting to steep so low but he had to do what he had to do.

"Then your girlfriend and mother will die..." Jiraiya was flung to the wall on the left and Naruto had his left forearm on his neck with his right hand positioned to attack.

"Are you threatening them?" Naruto asked in a growl.

"No but if you don't help me find the person we're looking for then she will not help you get your girlfriend and mother back. She is the only one who has the skills to heal both of them and if you don't come then they might never wake up again." Jiraiya told him, completely unfazed by Naruto's sudden attack, although he was amazed by his speed.

Naruto put Jiraya down and looked at Hinata. He didn't want to leave her alone but if he didn't go, he might never be with her again. Such a hard choice to make but he knew which one to make.

"When are we leaving?" Naruto asked in a solemn voice.

"In two days, right after the Third's funeral. I, at least, want to say one last good bye to my old sensei. Pack your things for a month." Jiraiya was about to leave but Naruto wasn't done talking.

"A month?" He asked with an incredulous look.

"Yes, I'm not sure how long it'll take until we find my old teammate so we can't be too careful. It might take a week or maybe even a month to two. All that matters is that she is found and brought back to Konoha." Jiraiya said as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves and wind. Outside, Jiraiya appeared on the nearest roof.

"How'd he take it?" A voice said behind him.

"Better than I thought, aside from almost attacking me." Jiraiya turned around and came face to face with Kakashi.

"So you think it'll actually take a month or so before you find Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi asked. Jiraiya massaged his temples.

"Knowing her, it might be even more." Kakashi and Jiraiya turned to the left to see Minato with a smug look and his arms crossed leaning against the wall of the rails. Kakashi's one eye popped open in surprise.

"S-Sensei?" Minato smiled with his eyes closed.

"How's it going Kakashi?!" Kakashi rubbed his one eye and reopened it, expecting to see his sensei gone but no such luck.

"It really is you Minato-sensei." Kakashi said in a sad tone. "But how?" Minato waved his hand in the air.

"That story if for another time. For now, we need to keep this to ourselves. No one else must know I'm alive... again. The only ones who know are some ANBU which have already sworn to secrecy, you, Jiraiya, and Kushina-chan. Let's keep it that way for now." Kakashi nodded his head.

"Right."

"Let's continue this discussion somewhere else." Jiraiya suggested. Minato and Kakashi nodded thier heads and disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

Back in the room, Naruto was looking at Hinata with a solemn expression. He really didn't want to leave her side but to save her, he'd have to. Naruto sighed as he sat back down on the chair near Hinata.

"You've been sighing a lot today." Gaara commented.

"Yup, I suppose so." Naruto's eyes never left Hinata as he spoke. Gaara also watched Hinata for a while.

"Naruto, explain to me exactly why this girl means so much to you." Gaara asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"She means a lot to me because she has been there for me whenever I needed her. It... I... well it's hard to explain, love isn't really something you can put into words and have them make sense. With Hinata, I feel better, more like myself than with any other girl I've ever hung around with. She makes my day brighter and my life more bearable.

"To me, Hinata is my salvation. She helped me get reacquainted with the village after my year long trip I took when I was five. She was and is my relief from my fan girls, by showing that she actually listens to me, cares for me, and believes in him. She is my light amid the darkness of most of the villagers' hatred." Naruto had a couple of unshed tears as he spoke. "That is why she means so much to me... because she was the first person to accept me and love me for who I am, not for my looks or hate me for being a human sacrifice."

Gaara heard the emotion behind Naruto's voice and couldn't help but nod the whole time. This is what he wanted, the same thing Naruto felt for Hinata and vice-versa. The question was who exactly was he going to experience this with and if someone at all, then when? Gaara suddenly remembered the real reason he came into the room.

"Naruto..." Naruto turned around to look at Gaara and his arm raised up to catch a somewhat old, dusty box Gaara threw at him. "You left this the last time you were here. I'll be going now." Gaara stood and nodded his head at Naruto before leaving the room. Naruto nodded back and when he looked down at the box, he remembered what it was.

He opened it and took out two things. One was a small, silver/lavender moon locket. It had a crescent shaped diamond in the middle of the front and a small lock on the side. The other was a dog tag with '_NU+HH'_ engraved on it. Naruto knew it probably wouldn't be the most expensive or most beautiful thing Hinata would get, considering what clan she's from, but it was the thought that counts, or so Naruto told himself.

He took out the locket and gently placed it around Hinata's neck. While he put it on her, Naruto placed a soft kiss on Hinata's forehead, cherishing the lavender smell she radiated. After he was done, he sat back down and thought about what he had to do in a couple of days. He felt his eyes getting heavy and before long, he was starting to lose consciousness and fell asleep.

[*.*.*.*]

It was a sad day in Konoha as every able ninja and citizen attended the Third Hokage's funeral. The day was so depressing that sky was also weeping at the loss Konoha suffered. As the priest talked about the Third, Naruto and Jiraiya watched from a nearby roof top. Jiraiya had told Naruto to go down with the others but he refused, saying that it was better this way.

Naruto looked to the nearest chair to the Third's coffin and saw a teary-eyed boy named Konohamaru. He had seen him around and from time to time stopped by to talk to him. Naruto felt a rain drop run down his face, down to his shirt. He stopped crying days ago, not really seeing the reason in crying anymore. It didn't help the situation at all and was a waste of time.

An hour has passed and now people were starting to leave roses near his coffin. Naruto stood and jumped down, grabbing a rose for himself. When it was his turn, Naruto let the rose fall from his hands with the rest of the roses and he placed them back in his pockets.

"See ya later old man, maybe even someday soon." Naruto closed his eyes and turned to walk away.

"Naruto-nii-san." Naruto stopped and turned around to see Konohamaru. "What did you mean by that?" Konohamaru asked his idol.

"The ninja business is very unpredictable Konohamaru. I might die the next time I walk out of this village, maybe even out of my own home. I'm not saying that I won't go down without a fight, just that I accept the fact that one day I might be in the same position the old man was in and risk my own life." Naruto looked at the Third's coffin again. "At least the old man died the way he wanted to, in battle as he protected this village. That's the way I want to go, knowing I helped keep this village, my home, safe from harm. And that's all we can really hope for as ninjas." Naruto turned around and started to walk away.

"Aren't you at least afraid of dying?!" Konohamaru yelled.

"I'm not scared of dying, I'm just not ready for it to take me just yet... I have a few pests and problems to deal with first." Before he was able to be stopped again, Naruto disappeared from sight and left everyone with his words running through their thoughts. The whole rookie nine and team Guy, along with the other Jonins and chunins, thought about his words, taking to heart what he said and meant. Everyone saw Naruto in a new light, some were better than others though.

"Come on Jiraiya-sensei, we need to go now." Naruto said as he walked towards the Northern gates of the village. Jiraiya was a bit surprised with the amount of respect Naruto had when he said his name. He shook it off and followed after him, hoping that soon, Naruto would be back to normal. "So what exactly are we going to do?" Naruto asked when Jiraiya caught up.

"We are going to go around the Fire country, going to places where Tsunade would usually be at." Jiraiya told him.

"Weeks to months huh?" Naruto asked.

"Yup, maybe more... maybe less." Naruto nodded his head in understanding as they left the village, officially starting their search for Tsunade of the Sannin.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto grumbled as he headed for his hotel room. It hasn't even been a day after they left Konoha and already Jiraiya had ditched him for some bimbo. It really irked him to no end and if it wasn't for the fact that the lady was hot and Jiraiya had a real shot with her, Naruto would've knocked the old prevert out and taken him to a different town.

Naruto shook his head and opened his room door. He closed the door, threw the keys to the side and dived for his bed. He lay face up, looking at the ceiling and fingering the dog tag around his neck. His thoughts went from his anger towards Jiraiya to his worry of his mother's and Hinata's state.

"Soon, very soon. I promise to get this Tsunade lady back and have her heal both of you." There was a sudden knock on the door and Naruto stood up. "I think this is a new record for you, ya perv!" Naruto yelled through the door but no response was given. Naruto was confused by this, Jiraiya would usual spaz out by now. Naruto opened the door and was surprised to see two ninjas wearing black cloaks with red clouds on it.

"So this is the brat we're supposed to get? He looks weak to me." The giant blue guy said. He looked at Naruto, going up and down. Naruto was wearing a black muscle shirt with orange stripes on the side, two sheathed swords attached on his back and black hakama pants and black ninja shoes. His mask was the same and he had an unreadable expression.

"That may be but regardless, we are still required to get him." Itachi said as he turned his attention to Naruto. "Now Naruto, don't make this difficult. Just remain quiet and let us take you without a struggle." Itachi said, his emotionless tone as flat as ever.

"Uhhhmmmmm... no." Naruto slammed the door and ran to the other side of the room. The door then burst down after being cut in half. Kisame picked up his sword and laughed.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you're going to get away from us!" Kisame yelled as he charged towards Naruto. "Hey Itachi, how about I chop his legs out!" Naruto took out one of his swords that was strapped on his back. He blocked Kisame's attack but was surprised when his strength was starting to fade. It didn't take long to realize what was coming so Naruto jumped back and dodged Kisame's follow-up swipe.

"That's a nice sword you got there, able to eat away any chakra it comes in contact with. I must say I'm impressed." Naruto disppeared and Kisame blocked Naruto's forward slash. He grinned at him.

"You're not as dumb as you look kid!" Naruto reached back and pulled out his other sword.

"So I've been told... maybe your not as dumb as you look." Kisame growled and kicked Naruto in the stomach. Naruto gasped in pain at the sudden attack as air left his lungs and he was sent back. He crashed through the window and fell off the second floor of the hotel. Naruto spun around and landed on his feet before he was able to fall on his back. He looked up and quickly brought both swords up to block Kisame's vertical arc. Naruto held his ground as the ground under him began to crack under the pressure and his strength started to fade.

"Not bad kid." Kisame lifted his sword and then in a spin, swung it again, this time aiming for Naruto's legs. Naruto saw this and jumped. After avoiding the swipe, Naruto repedititvely kicked Kisame in the face before back flipping off. Kisame staggered back as Naruto landed a few feet away. Naruto then charged and threw his sword a few feet away from Kisame. Kisame smiled and saw Naruto jump on top of the sword's handle. Kisame was expecting a kick to the face but was surprised when he used the swords as a step to jump to the roof of the building instead.

With an unseen pull, Naruto's sword, that was still on the ground, flew up and returned to Naruto's hand. Naruto slapped both blades together before positioning himself into his battle stance. Kisame sneered and jumped up, reared his sword back and swung down. Naruto jumped back and started to spin quickly, starting to look like a top with his swords out. Kisame laughed though.

"It's not like you can touch me from there." Kisame said in a condescending tone. With an unseen smile, Naruto let go of his swords and held on to the thin wire attached to them. His reached tripled in length and was far enough to land a cut on Kisame's left arm. Kisame jumped back and sneered. Naurto stopped spinning and brought both swords back in his hands. Before anyone was able to make another move, an explosion was and a yell of pain was heard from the second floor.

"Sasuke!" Naruto jumped down from the roof and into the hallway to see Itachi crushing Sasuke's wrist. Itachi then lifted him up to knee him in the stomach, let go, turn around and send a harsh roundhouse kick to his stomach. Sasuke flew through the air and hit his back against the wall. Itachi was then on him in a blink of an eye, choking him and staring at Sasuke straight in the eye before Sasuke yelled out one more time and going unconscious.

"Sasuke!" Naruto jumped back, avoiding Kisame's horizontal slash. Naruto growled in annoyance. He knew he wouldn't be able to win in a fight against him and Sasuke needed him. Naruto knew Itachi wouldn't kill Sasuke but Naruto didn't know how badly Sasuke was suffering so Naruto made a hand sign and started to call on Kyuubi's chakra.

"Too slow!" Kisame swung his sword near Naruto so most of his chakra was absorbed. Naruto felt the chakra he summoned fade away and soon he couldn't call on more of Kyuubi's chakra. "It's over!" Kisame swung down and Naruto closed his eyes, expecting to get killed. A clang of metal was heard and a cloud of smoke clouded the hallway. Naruto opened his eyes to see a battle toad blocking Kisame's attack with his metallic arm guard. Kisame retracted his sword and jumped to Itachi's side.

"I guess you guys don't know me at all." A voice said, echoing in through the silent halls. "Jiraiya, the toad sage, falls victim to no woman's charm. Rare beauties fall for me, like blossoms in a storm! It isn't in my nature to be duped by the wilds of women!" Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto who sweat dropped along with Itachi.

"When you've reached the stature I have, the ladies kneel and worship at your awesomeness!" Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto, carrying the unconscious girl from before. Everyone was speechless, not a sound came from anyone, at least, not right away.

"Are you kidding me?!" Naruto half yelled, half asked. "You turn into mud whenever a pretty girl so much as winks at you ya perv!" Naruto continued. Jiraiya sweat dropped and hit him over the head.

"Shut up, I saved you didn't I?"Jiraiya yelled.

"You probably wouldn't have to if you didn't ditch me!" Naruto yelled back.

"Yeah well..." Jiraiya mumbled. "Just shut up and watch!" Jiraiya made some hand signs and crouched down and slammed both hands on the floor. "**Ninja art: Toad Mouth Trap!**" The walls, floor and ceiling suddenly became pink and soft, almost like the inside of a throat.

"Welcome to the oesophagus of a great, fire-breathing toad from Myōbokuzan: Rock Lodging. No one has ever been successful in escaping out of this alive." The walls started to swell up and sucked in Sasuke while it also sucked in Kisame's sword. Before it was able to disappear, Kisame was able to get it back.

"Kisame, we're leaving." Itachi said as both started to run in the diretion of the opposite hall.

"Oh no you don't!" A pulse came from Jiraiya's hands and the wall started to sweel up faster, not leaving much room for Itachi or Kisame. Jiraiya chuckled before the building and throat of the toad shook. Jiraiya stood and both Naruto and Jiraiya ran to the direction where Itachi and Kisame ran. Jiraiya was surprised to see a giant hole with black flames. Naruto walked up to the flames.

"So this is Itachi-sensei's Amaterasu..."

"Yeah, so don't touch it!" Jiraiya warned as he wrote into a scroll and then let it suck in the black flames. "There, now, how about we get some rest." Jiraiya said with a smile.

"W-Where am I?" A soft, gentle voice said behind Jiraiya and Naruto. Naruto sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"See ya later kid!" Just as Jiraiya had said this, Guy came in through the hole and kicked Jiraiya in the head.

"**Dynamic Entry!**"

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto sighed as he went in the twenty third bar over the last three weeks. After Guy kicked Jiraiya in the face, he grabbed Sasuke and went back to Konoha, adding another person to the number of people Tsunade had to heal. Jiraiya had been teaching him how to do the Toad Mouth Trap and much more things since their fight with Akatsuki.

He found it odd that Torajoushi let him keep his contract while sign the Toad contract but didn't complain about it. But all Naruto really wanted to do was find Tsunade. It was really starting to irritate him how elusive one woman could be. He looked around the bar and saw a bunch of drunks, laughing and acting like idiots. It sickened him to be in the bar considering his past but this was for Hinata and his mom so he held his tongue.

Suddenly, a blond with huge breast caught his attention. She had a diamond like thing on her forehead, wore a green jacket and had brown eyes, the same characteristics Jiraiya had told him to look for, well sort of...

_"She had blond hair, not unlike your own and has a diamond thing on her forehead which looks exotic. She has brown eyes and wears a green jacket. But let me tell you kid, that's not the reason you'll want to look down. She has the biggest set of breast you'll ever see! I'm not kiddi-" _

Naruto had hit him after that, not really wanting to hear what else he had to say. Naruto stood and walked over to Tsunade who was sitting next to a short, black haired woman in a black kimono with a gray obi. Naruto sat in front of Tsunade and smiled while she gave him an odd stare.

"What do you want kid?" Tsunade asked, a little drunk but sober enough to realize what's happening and remember it the next day. Soon enough, she spotted Naruto's Konoha headband. "And what does Konoha want?"

"I'm not sure but they just want you to return."

"Oh yeah? And how come?" Tsunade asked.

"I just said I'm not sure." Naruto answered.

"Then why'd you come looking for me?"

"I never said I was looking for you." Naruto said non-chalantly.

"You're not?" The woman next to Tsunade asked.

"I never said that either. Ok, how about I start over. Hey, my name's Naruto Uzumaki, and you are?" Naruto said in a fake friendly tone and held his hand out.

"I am Shizune and..." Shizune was interrupted by Tsunade who grabbed Naruto's hand hard.

"I am Tsunade!" She said loudly as ger grip on Naruto's hand tighten but Naruto didn't back down, gripping her hand almost as tight.

"Nice, to meet you!" He said, equally as loud. Tsunade soon overpowered Naruto and Naruto fell back to his seat. Tsunade smirked and let go of his hand. Naruto returned his hand and held it in his arms. "Ah, I think you broke my hand Baa-chan." An angry tick mark appeared on Tsunade's forehead. Shizune, seeing this, took cover and prayed for the foolish, masked boy. She held Tonton, her pig, in her arms as well, not wanting it to get in harms way either.

"What... did... you call... ME?!" Tsunade yelled as she stood.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto yelled back as he stood up too. As soon as he did though, a punch connected with his cheek and he flew back through the bar and ended up breaking the wall of the bar and landing right outside in the middle of the street. Everyone was shocked at this and some even left the bar. Tsunade didn't care though, she was seeing red or to be percise, black with orange stripes.

Naruto stood and rubbed his cheek and went into the lotus position.

"Damn, baa-chan has a mean right hook." A foot crashed down onto his chest and took the air out of his lungs. "Argh!" Naruto was buried three feet into the ground by Tsunade's axe kick.

"Want to say that again?" Tsunade asked sweetly. Naruto remained unresponsive. His eyes were closed and some blood was leaking from his mouth. Tsundae suddenly realized what she had done, overcoming her dunkness for a short while. "Crap." She said.

"What the hell?!" Jiraiya shouted. Tsunade looked up and saw Jiraiya panicking on the side walk.

"Oh, it's you... I'm assuming this dead weight is yours?" Tsunade asked, not getting an answer from Jiraiya. Tsunade shrugged her shoulders and took a step out of the crater. When she tried to get her other foot out, something was stopping her. She looked down at Naruto and saw his left hand holding on to her right foot. "What-?" She bent back as a second Naruto appeared out of the ground and was prepared to connect his fist with her chin. Tsunade came back up and punched the second Naruto in the gut. That Naruto poofed out of existance and the first Naruto jumped out of the crater, panting heavily.

"I gotta admit baa-chan, you're one hell of a powerhouse for someone your age." Naruto said as he wiped some blood out of the corner of his mouth. "But the newer generation will always be stronger than the last. It's one of the never-ending cycles in life." Naruto said as he dropped into his battle stance. Tsunade noticed that he had two swords strapped on his back.

"Why aren't you attacking with your swords?" Tsunade asked.

"Because I don't want to kill you, just rough you up a little. Besides, it won't help me become Hokage if I kill you." He said with a sick smile. Tsunade wondered what that was about, but shrugged it off, not taking the threat seriously. Though his words made Tsunade see a little of Dan and Nawaki in him. She shook her head and smiled.

"You know what brat, how about you and me get into a small fight... and I won't use anything other than this finger right here." Tsunade lifted her right index finger to show him.

"Fine with me." Naruto disappeared in a flash and was behind Tsunade. Tsunade turned in time to see him turn and ducked under the roudhouse kick he threw. She jumped back and smiled, not expecting Naruto to be so fast. Naruto flipped back and after getting some distance, ran at Tsunade and sent a punch for Tsunade's head. She dodged it again and raised her hand up and flicked his forehead. Naruto flew into the air and his headband snapped off.

Naruto landed seventeen feet away from Tsunade and his headband much farther. He growled and stood up, his hair getting in his eyes. He held out his right hand facing her. His left hand grabbed his right wrist and started concentrating chakra into it.

Tsunade was, to say the least, surprised when she saw an orb of chakra appear on Naruto's right arm. It didn't last when she saw him heading for her in break-neck speed. She slammed her finger on the ground and creates a earth quake, making Naruto trip and he dispersed his rasengan.

Naruto rolled, stood up and ran at Tsunade, taking out his swords. Naruto jumped into the air with a spin and sent a roundhouse kick to Tsunade's head. Tsunade sneers as she ducks under his kick. Naruto acts fast as he drives both his swords to the ground, and uses them to push himself off Tsunade who tried to flick his forehead again.

Naruto lands behind Tsunade and sends a chakra powered punch to her back. Tsunade turned and stopped the punch with her index finger but before she can do more, Naruto disappears from sight and sweeps her feet from under her. Tsunade staggers back but doesn't fall, having maintained perfect balance. Naruto takes this opportunity to create a second rasengan. At point blank range, it would be hard for Tsunade to dodge with just one finger... exactly what Naruto was hoping for.

Tsunade sneers as she grabs Naruto's right wrist and throws him in the direction of Jiraiya. Jiraiya panics as he jumps out of the way, leaving Naruto to hit the ground with his rasengan. The after math of the rasengan left a crater about five feet in diameter and four feet in depth.

Tsunade doubles over and curses, not expecting Naruto to be so clever. As Naruto lays in the crater, he starts to chuckle until it turns into loud laughter.

"I... I did it... I made a sannin use more than one finger." Naruto throws his feet up and then uses his hands to jump off the ground and land on his legs. Tsunade sneered again, not wanting to lose to Naruto. And idea pooped into her mind as she smirks.

"Hey kid, how about we make a bet?" Tsunade asked, Shizune paled at this.

"What?!" Shizune yelled.

"What happens when I win?" Naruto asked, spitting out some blood.

"_IF _you win, then I'll give you this necklace..." Tsunade said, showing him the necklace around her neck. "And I'll go back to Konoha, no if's, and, or, buts about it."

"And what happens _IF_ I lose?"

"_WHEN _you lose, you forget about your desire of being Hokage and work for me for the rest of your life!" Naruto tensed up and got out of his stance, thinking about it. "Though you might want to hurry, time's running out." At the mention of these words, Naruto's resolved hardened. She was right, time was running out and he had to get her to Konoha as quickly as possible. He held out his fist right at Tsunade.

"Wait, what's the bet?" Naruto asked. Tsunade thought about for a second before snapping her fingers.

"I'll give you a week to impress me." Naruto bit his thumb and summoned two battle tigers and two battle toads. Tsunade's eyes widened in shock but she shook it off. "Ok, but you didn't agree to the bet so this doesn't count. Try something new if you're agreeing to this bet." She held her hand out so he could shake it. Naruto cursed under his breath as he dispersed the summons. He reached out and shook Tsunade's hand.

"Fine, may the best man win!" Naruto said before walking away, into the woods to train.

"Where's he going?" Shizune asked.

"He's off to train." Jiraiya said as he watched Naruto's retreating form. "You've done it now Tsunade-hime. This kid won't stop training until he drops." Tsunade watched Naruto walk away. She sneered and turned to the hotel she was staying at.

"We'll see in a week." Tsunade took two steps before Jiraiya's hand grabbed her elbow.

"We're not done talking... let's get a few drinks first, I have a feeling we'll need them." Tsunade snatched her arm away and continued to walk.

"There's nothing to talk about." She said as Shizune bowed to Jiraya and then went after her with Tonton safely in her arms.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto panted as he surveyed his surroundings. He chuckled as he saw the entire field destroyed and empty. He sat down and looked up at the night sky, noting that he hasn't had much time to look at them lately. Naruto sighed, thinking about all the problem he has to deal with.

He had worked hard the last six days and he was sure what he had down would not only impress Tsunade but also make her respect him. After a while, he stood up and headed for the nearest bar, knowing he'd find Tsunade and Jiraiya there.

After walking into the bar, Naruto looked around. It wasn't hard for him to spot a blond and a white haired couple drinking. He walked up behind the two but stopped when he heard them talk, or more like argue.

"...I was just saying that Konoha needs you back Tsunade. If you don't agree to come back, we would be without a Hokage." Naruto heard Jiraiya say, making his eyes widened in shock.

"That's not really my problem. That place is nothing but trouble and I don't feel llike going back." Tsunade retorted.

"What about your bet with Naruto? You'll honor that right?" Jiraiya asked in a worried voice but Tsunade waved her hand in front of his face.

"Yeah yeah, I'll only go back _if _he wins, if not, well that's too bad." Tsunade grabbed a whole bottle of sake and downed it all.

"So, are you going side with Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked out of the blue. Tsunade choked on her sake.

"W-What? How did you..?"

"I ran into him earlier, he said he was just visiting an old frend. I'm guessing he was talking about you and that he wants you to heal his hands." Jiraiya deduced, taking another sip of his sake.

"Well I haven't decided yet. He did make a very tempting offer though." Tsunade was surprised when Jiraiya slammed his hands on the table.

"There's nothing he could offer you that should make you heal his arms. If you do, then he'll attack Konoha again. Do you know it was only about a month ago that he attacked Konoha?" Tsunade shrugged her shoulders.

"So, everything turned out fine right?" Killing intent filled the bar, scaring every non-shinobi and shinobi alike with the exception of Jiraiya and Tsunade who looked around for the source of it.

"No, everything didn't turn out fine." The two sannins turned around and came face to face with Naruto who had his head down. He brought his head up and looked at Tsunade straight in the eyes, anger evident in them. "My mom's in a coma, my girfriend's in a coma, less than a third of Konoha's shinobi population was killed and..." Naruto looked away, holding his pain from the memory.

Tsunade was surprised to hear that Kushina was alive. She didn't know her that well but just enough to know she was a nice girl. She had heard that Kushina was killed by the Kyuubi but now her son is telling her she's alive. While she was surprised she didn't let it show.

"Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage." Jiraiya said with an emotionless tone. Tsunade was shocked to say the least. Even in her already drunken state, every word, every emotion in the room was registering in her mind perfectly. Tsunade looked into the sake in her cup before drinking it.

"The old fool had it coming." Jiraiya snapped his eyes opened and flashed to Naruto's back to hold him back. Naruto felt pain reach his heart as he heard Tsunade's cold words. Something clicked in his mind and his eyes turned red, his fangs and claws grew and under his mask, his whisker marks thickened. Naruto found that he wanted to hurt Tsunade badly, to make her pay for the words that fell off her drunken mouth.

"Let me go you perv!" Naruto yelled as more of Kyuubi's chakra pumped through his body. "This old bat bad mouthed the Hokage! THE HOKAGE! That's unacceptable and she needs to pay for it!" Naruto continued to snarl and try to free himself from Jiraiya's hold.

_'If only Hinata was here...'_ Was all Jiraiya was thinking.

"I'm sorry brat, did I offend? I didn't mean to..." Tsunade apologized, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Naruto growled as he was slowly inching his way towards her. "Why do you care so much to you that I bad mouthed the Hokage?" Tsunade asked.

"Because the old man was like a grandfather to me. He was the first to accept me and watch over me, like a parent or grandparent would. He took care of me and made sure I was safe and alive. He's my family and when you say bad things about my family, you gotta answer to me! Besides, he's the Hokage, the most powerful and most respected person in the whole village! And your words... you might have as well spat on his grave!" Naruto said in one breath.

"Only a fool would want to be Hokage... I'm not willing to bet my life just for some job or people." Tsunade said, shocking Naruto and Jiraiya. Jiraya's eyes narrowed but Naruto's eyes closed and he clenched his teeth.

"You don't diserve to be chosen as the next Hokage. After I win our bet, I want you to come with us to heal my mom, my girlfriend, Sasuke and anyone else that needs healing. After that, I want you to get the hell out of Konoha because if I ever see you back in Konoha after that, I'll personally make sure you never come back!" Kyuubi's chakra flared around Naruto like a giant flame and burned Jiraiya's arms, making him let Naruto go. Naruto turned around and marched out of the bar, leaving everyone in shock at his words and wondering what exactly he meant.

Tsunade was speechless, nothing was coming to her mind, it was blank. Jiraiya was in a similar state as he sat back down near Tsunade. It hurt Tsunade that he said that to her but she didn't understand why it did.

"You've changed Tsunade... yeah he went a little over board but he's got the right idea you know." Jiraiya said. Tsunade looked at him with a questioningly gaze. "If you do agree to heal Orochimaru, I will make sure you and him are no longer a problem to Konoha." He set his sake down and closed his eyes and laid his head back for a few seconds.

When he didn't hear Tsunade say anything, he opened the eye nearest to her and saw her down a sake bottle. He sighed as he picked up his shot and chugged in down. He spat out some of it, its taste was horrible, more so than usual. He looked at Tsunade who was semi-unconscious from all the sake. His vision started to blur and he felt lightheaded.

"Tomorrow's the day..." He said as he stood up and left the bar only to fall unconscious a few minutes after stepping out of it. A shadow stood over him and shook his head. It lifted his arm and put it over their shoulder.

"Jiraiya you old pervert, you owe me." Tsunade said as she dragged Jiraiya back to the hotel they were staying at. _'Tomorrow's the day... the day many lives change for the better... or worse.'_ She thought.

* * *

**If the next chapter is as long as this chapter was, then Hinata and Kushina just might wake up by the next or second chapter... Can't wait!**

**Yeah, I know this is a little rushed but really, after confronting Itachi and Kisame, not much excitement happened in the anime... Also, I know the bet is a bit weak but I don't really have a jutsu that he can learn without making him seem too powerful... It's starting to piss me off how much people hate strong Narutos... I mean, he should be strong in the anime, not a weak idiot in comparison to Sasuke...**

**Seriously, what the hell?! How can he fight three kages and still be alive... Granted he did have some help but not much of it...**

**Anyways, not much left to say so...**

**Next Chapter: Battle with the Sannins...**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it**


	25. Battle with the Sannins

**At last! At last! A new chapter!**

**I'm really sorry about the wait but I got the worse writer's block I ever had with this story... Luckily, I had some inspiration today and was able to type it up!**

**Please be patient with me because I have a lot of new things to deal with that may slow down my updating... Sorry again...**

**This time I will do the review thing I do sometimes:**

**----------**

**THE HEE-HO KING  
2009-10-23 . chapter 24**

_**"I'm with you why do people hate strong Naruto plus the Teme is way too over powered any way nice chapter keep it up till next time,**_

_**Hee-Ho!"**_

**Me: Thank you! Someone who understands me!**

**----------  
**

**Chewie Cookies  
2009-10-24 . chapter 24**

_**"Very nice, though I wonder why Tsunade didn't seem surprised when Naruto indirectly told her his mother is alive? (you have to be alive to be comatose, ne?)**_

_**Can't wait till the next chapter! And give Naruto a baby sister at some point, just for the heck of it!**_

_**Keep up the good work!"**_

**Me: *sweat drop* haha yeah I forgot about that but I fixed it up before anyone was able to notice... I hope...  
**

**---------**

**sashu  
2009-10-24 . chapter 24**

_**"I will never understand why people care so much about what people whom they may never see ro will never see again care. My personal opinion is if you want naruto to be strong in your story thats your prerogative because its your story. reat chapter by the way really enjoyed it. And go naruto put tsunade in her place like that."**_

**Me:**** I really don't care what some say, well at least not like that... I did make Naruto strong because I wanted him to be like that... And I did so knowing that there would be people that would get mad over it... So I'll say this once to everyone who reading and hates strong Narutos... I don't give a f*ck if you hate a strong Naruto! I don't hate him for being strong and I'm keeping it that way! ****I could really careless whether or not you like a strong Naruto and don't need to hear that you hate it... Congratulations if you hate him strong and hate me for making him strong, want a cookie?!**

**And yeah, Tsunade will learn her place!**

**----------**

**Leaf Ranger  
2009-10-24 . chapter 24**

_**"Damn, I forgot how much I disliked Tsuande when they first met her. She really was a bitch. You just made her more so here.**_

_**I really hope you do manage to wake them both next chapter. I can't wait a little longer, but you have two chapters to wake them, before I unleash upon you! !**_

_**Kidding... I'll use Oni Naruto."**_

**Me: I swear on my life I somewhat paled at this... I was rushing through my mind to come up with a good chapter! I did NOT want to face Leaf Ranger's Oni Naruto... I was barely able to keep up with S. Naruto and I do not want to see an angry Oni Naruto come after me...**

**----------**

**Also, this chapter is a bit longer than usual so bear with me on this... Also, I didn't want to bother my BETA reader with this so there will be a few spelling errors so again, patience...  
**

**That's it for now, enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 25: ****Battle with the Sannins...**

******Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto  
**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"Tomorrow's the day..." He said as he stood up and left the bar only to fall unconscious a few minutes after stepping out of it. A shadow stood over him and shook his head. It lifted his arm and put it over their shoulder._

_"Jiraiya you old pervert, you owe me." Tsunade said as she dragged Jiraiya back to the hotel they were staying at. 'Tomorrow's the day... the day many lives change for the better... or worse.' She thought._

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto slammed another rasengan into the base of a tree. The tree didn't stand a chance as it was ripped off the ground and annihilated into splinters and sticks no bigger than a toothpick. He fell to his knees, weakened from hours of train and misplaced aggression catching up with him. He looked up at the sky and saw the moon shine brightly over him, almost in a prideful way. It shined on the Earth, allowing Naruto to view the collateral damage he has caused.

The remaining stumps and trees he didn't completely obliterate in a twenty-five feet radius from his previous training session were now nowhere to be seen, instead only trees fifty feet away from him, craters, toothpicks, dust and chunks of Earth poking out of the ground were within eye sight.

Naruto cursed under his breath as he felt his vision blur for the tenth time in the last hour. He was exhausted, his body screaming to rest and his mind to shut down but his will, anger and adrenaline prevented him from sleeping and resting.

He shakily stood and looked around for a new victim to destroy. Seeing nothing left to destroy, Naruto forced his hands to create hand signs and create one hundred shadow clones. Each stood, unmoving and at attention.

Using the first step from his rasengan training, Naruto spun his chakra into hands and compressed it so it stretched out and created a disk. Quickly applying Kyuubi's chakra to his disk to 'spark' a flame in his hands, he flung his hand forward.

"**Demon Art: Fire Style: Hell's Disk!**" The disk of green flame intensified and changed from green to white in a second before settling on a dark blue. This caught Naruto's interest as the disk decimated more than half of his clones.

Naruto closed his left eye, fell to his left knee and held his ribs as the clones' pain returned to him. The attack inflicts an insane amount of damage to the body part it touches but luckily, since it was only the clones that were hit, the pain wasn't as bad as an actual hit.

He stood up again and made more hand signs, making more clones appear. He counted them, forgetting how many he created and sighed as he counted two hundred and sixty-five. Naruto pulled down his mask and all the chakra the mask hasn't ate up yet was released and refueled his close to empty chakra reserves.

Naruto's body went into shock as his chakra rushed through his body. His face was contorted into one of true pain as his arms and legs stiffen. He felt his chest tighten and his heart race at inhuman speeds. Naruto felt his world blur once again and fell on both knees. A silhouette watched from the distance and stood to walk over to Naruto but stopped when a faint glow of red surrounded Naruto.

Naruto could feel Kyuubi's chakra repair his body and help it adjust to the sudden chakra. Naruto let out a breath of relief and his stretched his arms and legs. He felt better, well physically. He turned around and prepared to make more clones, ready to get rid of his anger through violence and destruction.

The sound of a twig snapping got Naruto's attention and he turned around to where the sound was. He searched around the area, feeling an odd chakra signature near him. Naruto slowly took out two kunais and threw them at the boulder behind him.

The silhouette in the distance gasped, not expecting Naruto to do that.

"Come out, who ever you are. I can sense your chakra since you suck at hiding your chakra." A chuckle was heard as someone moved from behind the boulder that was once part of the Earth. Naruto eyed the new stranger with a critical stare.

It was obvious that this was a guy because he had black hair that reached down to the base of his neck and parallel to ears. He wore dark blue track pants and light blue coat t-shirt with a furry hoodie, similar to Kiba's except it wasn't as thick or baggy. His brown eyes showed happiness and carelessness, similar to how Naruto used to be before his life got complicated.

If he had to guess, Naruto would have to say that this guy was at least seventeen and half an inch away from being six feet. He wasn't bulky but he wasn't thin, he had an athletic body that showed that he didn't just sit on a couch all day.

The mysterious guy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and smiled.

"I know, I should probably do something about that but I kind of don't care." He said, not noticing Naruto's calculating stare. Naruto walked over to where he put his swords and strapped them on.

_'Better safe then sorry...'_ He thought, sweat dropping at the cliche. He then walked back to where he once stood and made some hand signs.

"You know it's rude to ignore someone." The mysterious guy said, interrupting Naruto before he was able to complete the hand signs, making him sigh.

"It's not exactly polite to not introduce yourself." Naruto retorted.

"I guess you're right but I'm not exactly what you would call 'polite'." The guy said, putting air quotes around 'polite'. Naruto just glared at him. The guy sighed and sat down in the lotus position. "My name's Jyouki... Jyouki Karamagi of the Karamagi Clan." Jyouki said.

"Naruto Uzumaki of the Immortal Clan." Jyouki tilted his head in confusion.

"Immortal... Clan? Sounds odd, where's that clan from?" Jyouki asked curiously.

"It's a clan from the far East. I'm the only member left of the clan." Naruto answered solemnly, remembering his late master/father figure.

"Oh, I know how that feels." Jyouki said sadly. "My clan was wiped out thirteen years ago, about month after Kyuubi attacked that one place..." Jyouki placed a hand under his chin and got into a thinking pose. "I think it was called Konoha."

"Yeah, that's the place." Naruto assured him. Jyouki nodded his head.

"Yeah, well anyways, Kagerougakure no sato _[Hidden Heat Haze Village]_, the place where I'm from, wanted a jinchuuriki of their own after hearing of Konoha's new one. I unfortunately, at the age of four, was chosen to carry the burden of being a human sacrifice. Though since all nine bijuu already had a jinchuuriki of their own, Kagerou decided to use a lesser known tailed beast, the Zero-Tailed Wolf.

"I really have perfect control of its chakra but unfortunately, it comes with a price." Jyouki coughed and spat out some blood.

"A-Are you ok?" Naruto asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah, it's just one of the side effects of having Reibi, my tailed beast, sealed in me. I have the same gains other jinchuuriki get, feral features, immense chakra and stamina, and fast healing abilities. Unfortunately, my idiot family didn't foresee the chances of the sealing going wrong." Naruto was intrigued and yet sad to hear his story.

"What went wrong?" Naruto asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, no one's exactly sure but after my tenth birthday, my lungs and other random organs started to die out, only to be brought back by Reibi's chakra. This one seals expert told me that the Reibi was probably very reluctant to be seal in me and thrashed about, messing up a portion of the seal but I can't be too sure."

"You still haven't explained why you're the last of your clan." Naruto said.

"I... I can't really remember... I was so young and simple minded that all I can remember was that I was so wild and usually under Reibi's influence..." Jyouki said vaguely. Naruto knew he was hiding something but he wasn't going to pester him, it wasn't in his place and besides, he barely knew the guy.

"So, what do you want? I mean, why were you sneaking around?" Naruto asked. Jyouki smiled and fell on his back.

"I was wandering around this place and felt an unusual amount of chakra around this area. I wanted to check out who it was and imagine my surprise when I see a kid no older than eleven using high level jutsus." Naruto got an angry tick mark on his head and clenched his fist. He slowly made his towards Jyouki and when he reached him, he hit him over the head.

"Ow." Jyouki whined.

"I'm thirteen ya jerk!" Naruto yelled as he stomped over to his training spot and charged up chakra. "No if don't have anything else to say or do then leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to talk." Jyouki rubbed his head where Naruto hit him and stood up.

He walked over to where Naruto stood and punched his back. Naruto was surprised to say the least but flipped over and landed on his feet before hitting the ground.

"What the-" Naruto wasn't given enough time to finish saying anything as Jyouki appeared in front of him and tried to kick his head. Naruto ducked under his kick and threw his fist forward, aimed for his stomach. Jyouki turned to the side and avoided the hit and clasped both hands together to slam it on top of Naruto's back.

Naruto groaned as the over the head axe punch connected with his back before disappearing in a poof of smoke. Jyouki stood up straight and looked around. He heard the ground under him move and was surprised when Naruto jumped out and connected a mean right hook with his chin.

Jyouki flew back and grunted in pain as he looked up and saw Naruto marching over to him.

"What the hell?" Naruto asked in anger.

"Well I'm bored, you're obviously mad, so how about we have a friendly spar?" Jyouki reasoned. Naruto stopped to register his words.

"Right now?" Naruto asked. Jyouki nodded his head.

"I don't see why not." Naruto thought it over, wondering if it was such a good idea.

"I guess. I don't see the harm in it." Naruto immediately ducked under a roundhouse kick and flipped back when Jyouki's left fist was almost driven into his stomach. After coming into a stop, Naruto charged forward and punched Jyouki's face. Jyouki turned around only to back hand Naruto. Naruto fell but recovered as he used his legs to pushed Jyouki back after he tried to attack him while he was down.

In the distance, hidden by the remaining trees not destroyed by Naruto, Tsunade watched in interest. A few minutes after she had dropped Jiraiya at the hotel, she went in search of Naruto, to watch him train from afar like the previous six nights. She was shocked to find him using an insane amount of chakra right from the start.

In the last two hours she had been watching him, the lowest amount of chakra he used was for a giant fireball. Tsunade hated to admit it but she was thoroughly impressed by Naruto and all the powerful jutsus he had, but she didn't want to lose so she wouldn't let him know she had seen his impressive hour of 'training' as Naruto said to himself once in a while.

Naruto grunted as he willed his body to dodge Jyouki's spinning kick. Naruto tripped on his legs and fell to his knees. He saw Jyouki jump kick his leg out so he closed his eyes. The hit and pain never came as Naruto's opened his eyes to see a panting Jyouki.

"Wow... you're a tough opponent. Where were you when I needed a sparing partner all those years ago." Jyouki joked as he tried to catch his breath. He held his hand out and helped Naruto stand. He then shook his hand and smiled.

"You're not so bad yourself... you actually beat me." Naruto praised.

"Yeah but it's not like you were at full strength to begin with so it doesn't really count." Jyouki told him. Then he let his hand go and sat down to look at the stars. Naruto stood a few feet away as he looked up as well. "So Naruto... why are you out here in a place like this?"

"I was angry and I needed a place to vent out my aggression." Jyouki looked around and chuckled.

"Damn, so you changed the entire landscape? Must be really angry to do that."

"Yeah well, I was really angry and let it get the best of me." Naruto admitted sheepishly.

"That's an understatement." Jyouki coughed, spitting out a bit of blood. "Taste funny... Anyways, I know this is sort of out of the blue but... why are you a ninja?" Naruto looked at him funny while Tsunade actually applied chakra to her ears so she wouldn't miss a word Naruto said. The brat was a very interesting individual and she found it odd that she was actually interested in hearing his answer.

"Why am I a ninja? Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just bored and want to talk." Jyouki told him.

"Well, at first I became a ninja so people could stop messing with me and would look up to me. My childhood wasn't really the best, in fact, it was horrible. Constant beatings from random villagers, belittlement from some of the other kids. I did have fan girls but I'm not sure if that is a good thing... actually, now that I think about it, it has been pretty quiet around ever since I graduated." Naruto mused to himself.

Back in Konoha, all of Naruto's fan girls sighed sadly, missing the masked blond that had snuck into their hearts half a year ago, thinking of a way to see the blond again. Then, in an almost simultaneous instant, all of his fan girls rose from their bed thinking, _'I got it!'_

Naruto shuddered, getting the strange feeling that something horrible was going to happen in the near future. He shook off the feeling as he continued to speak.

"Anyways, during the same time I was in the ninja academy, I met this incredible girl that changed my perspective on life and goals I had set. I first wanted to be a ninja so I could be respected and accepted... but I realized that you shouldn't go after power for fame or for respect but so you can protect those you cherish. I know it sounds corny but she really changed me; I'm not sure how I'd be like if she never came into my life."

"Sounds like you're in love." Jyouki teased with a smile. Naruto had a smile that matched Jyouki's as he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath through his nose.

"Sounds about right."

"So what's up with your mask, why do you wear it?" Jyouki randomly asked. Naruto took his mask off and let it rest in his hand.

"I wear it to honor my fallen master, Amir of the Immortal Clan. He was like a father to me, even in the short time we've spent together, training. Also, during the training I traveled a lot and during which I ran into a man who knew a lot about chakra.

"He told me I had a lot and that he had something that would help me control all my chakra. This mask 'eats' up my chakra, helping me control the insane amounts I have. When I take it off, my chakra reserves refill and I let loose a lot of chakra. It helps me practice my chakra control and even expand my chakra reserves every time I take it off." Naruto looked at the mask in his hands before putting it on again.

"I see..." Jyouki said with a thoughtful expression. Jyouki closed his eyes and fell to his back. Naruto joined him as he fell back and looked at the sky. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"If you're from Konoha, what're doing here? Are you on a mission?" Jyouki asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm here to bring someone back to Konoha." Naruto answered, trying his best to suppress a yawn.

"Oh? Is this person important or are they like some missing nin?"

"You know you ask a lot of questions." Naruto stated. Jyouki shrugged his shoulders, not caring if he said it or not.

"So I've been told."

"The person I need to bring back is very important."

"What happens if you don't bring her back?"

"If she doesn't came back then I'm afraid I'll never be able to be with my girlfriend." Jyouki rose from the ground and looked at Naruto with a questioningly stare.

"Why? Is this person the only one who can free her or something?"

"My girlfriend is in a coma and yes, this person is the only one able to heal her. Unfortunately for me, it's not only my girlfriend, it's also my mom and friend that're in a coma." Naruto continued.

"Damn, that's really... bad." Jyouki said, not really sure about what he should say.

"Yeah I know." Naruto said, closing his eyes. Tsunade had enough spying on Naruto and headed for the her hotel room, making sure that she had a bottle of sake near her. She knew she was in for a night of thinking, cursing both Jiraiya and Naruto for making her think so much.

[*.*.*.*]

Tsunade stared at cold, yellow eyes as they stared back. She felt sickened that she had even considered healing the monster's arms. She shook her head, clearing her head of other thoughts. She came to the meeting spot she and Orochimaru agreed on so she could finish what the Third started; ending the evil that is Orochimaru.

She mentally sighed, still not sure when it was the little brat had changed her mind but it had happened. The sun shined down on both Sannins as a breeze blew passed them. The Tanzaku Castle lay in ruins behind her and she could only guess whose fault that was.

"So, have you decided on what you will do Tsunade?" Orochimaru said with a grin, licking his lips in anticipation. Tsunade inwardly sneered but held her stoic expression.

"Yes, I'll heal your arms..." Orochimaru took a step forward but stopped when he saw Tsunade's hand go up in front of her. "But you have to promise me that you won't attack Konoha." Orochimaru's smile faltered.

"Oh? And what ever for?" He asked, a bit irked by the sudden proposition.

"Just because, now do you want me to heal your arms or not because if you don't agree then you can forget me healing your arms." Tsunade said crossing her arms. Orochimaru scowled but nodded his head.

"Fine." Tsunade uncrossed her arms and walked over to Orochimaru while he did the same. His scowled was replaced with a sinister smile. He was so close to reaching his goals that he could taste it. Tsunade stretched her arms out and her hands glowed with blue chakra.

She was about to make contact with Orochimaru's arms when a kunai made Tsunade and Orochimaru jump back from each other. They both look up and see Kabuto who jumped down from a nearby tree and bowed in front of Orochimaru.

"Kabuto, what is the meaning of this?" Orochimaru asked, peeved that his loyal assistant stopped Tsunade from healing his arms.

"I am sorry Orochimaru-sama but Tsunade wasn't about to heal your arms, she was actually going to kill you through her medical jutsu." Kabuto said in a hurry. Orochimaru looked at Tsunade.

"I see, so you planned on betraying me huh Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked. Tsunade smiled.

"Yeah, I did... I did so I can make sure you don't cause more problems for Konoha." Orochimaru scowled at her words.

"A change of heart I see. Just last week you couldn't care less what happened to our old home." Orochimaru snarled as he said this.

"Well a lot can happen in a week's time." Tsunade snapped forward onto the ground, causing it to shake, make boulders to pop up and rush towards Orochimaru and his loyal assistant. Both jumped out of the way, on top of the fence made of stone behind them.

"Orochimaru-sama, I do not think it is wise to fight in this environment. We have limited space to dodge her monstrous punches and kicks." Kabuto said to his leader.

"I am well aware of that Kabuto." Without another word, Orochimaru body-flickered away from Tsunade, Kabuto following shortly. Tsunade snarled as she saw her prey retreat into the more open spaced part of the area.

"You're not getting away that easily!" She shouted as she went after them as quickly as she could, making her green jacket fly off of her.

Back in the hotel she, Shizune, Naruto and Jiraiya stayed at, Naruto slowly opened the door to the room he and Jiraiya slept in. He didn't want to get caught sneaking in after an all night training session again. Jiraiya had made him train all that day without rest of time for food, instead, simply giving him a ration bar to eat while he ran laps around a village half the size of Konoha.

Naruto absently rubbed his right calf, remembering how long it took Kyuubi to heal the sore muscle. Why Jiraiya made him do that for training all night was beyond him, he was just making sure he didn't get caught again. Though part of him was sure he wouldn't be there, instead in some girl's room doing who knows what.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a moaning sound come from the corner of the room. He scolded himself for not checking and making sure there was no other chakra signature in the room. Rookie mistake on his part.

"Ero-sennin, I can expl-" That was all Naruto was able to say before he saw Shizune hold her head and let out another groan.

"S-Shizune, what're you doing here?" Another groan caught his attention and he looked back to see Jiraiya sprawled under his covers with a huge bump on his head. Naruto pulled down on his head band over his eyes and then grabbed his hair.

"No, no, no Ero-sennin... tell me you didn't!" Naruto shouted as Shizune started to accumulate her thoughts. She then registered what Naruto said and wondered what he meant. It didn't take long seeing as she was in the same room as Jiraiya and both looked worse for wear. He closed were rumpled up and so was Jiraiya's, except his shirt was a bit torn at the hem and the huge bump on his head.

Shizune blushed as she sat up right.

"N-No, no Naruto, it's nothing like that." Jiraiya sat up as well but was still out of it.

"Please explain." Naruto said in a less than enthusiastic tone.

"I-I came in here last night after Tsunade-sama brought home an unconscious Jiraya-sama. She had asked if I had seen you but I said no. She muttered something under her breath after hitting Jiraiya-sama on the head, throwing him to the side and walk up to the door. I had asked something that seemed to upset her and after a minute of arguing, she apparently knocked me unconscious." Shizune explained as vaguely and quickly as she could.

"Apparently." Naruto commented, not missing the fact that she was a bit vague.

"Shizune," A voice filled the room, getting both of Naruto's and Shizune's attention. "where's Tsunade now?" Jiraiya asked as he forced his body to stand. Shizune noticed this and ran to his side, helping him stand while her free hand glowed green and she did a quick scan of his body.

"Jiraiya-sama, you're chakra coils are all messed up. It seems so unbalanced and random, what did you drink last night?" Shizune asked.

"Sake... A lot of it, probably." Naruto mumbled. Lucky for him no one heard him.

"I don't think it was sake that did this to me. Tsunade probably drugged me last night so I wouldn't interfere with her meeting." Shizune's eye widened in realization but Naruto was still out of the loop.

"Meeting? What meeting? Besides meeting us, she also said she ran into..." It was then that Naruto understood. He growled under his mask as he released some of his anger in killing intent. "So she agreed to meet the damn snake." Naruto jumped onto the window sill and was about to jump off but Jiraiya stopped him.

"Hold on brat, you can't go face Orochimaru and expect to win." Jiraiya said in a serious tone. "I know you're angry at him for almost destroying Konoha and killing the old man," Everyone in the room had a pang of pain hit their heart after hearing of the old man's death again. "But rushing into battle is not the way to go."

Naruto had his bangs covering his eyes so no one could see what he was feeling. Shizune looked at him while she tried to remove the drug Tsunade gave him with little success.

"So what do you propose we do?" Naruto finally said.

"We will go after them, just not in a hurry. If she hasn't antagonized Orochimaru yet, then we will the element of surprise on both of them, just in case Tsunade agrees to heal him. If she does end up fighting him... well we'll still have the element of surprise. Now let's go." Naruto nodded and he, Jiraiya and Shizune left the room.

Across in a distant roof, Jyouki hummed to himself as he watched Naruto, Jiraiya and Shizune head for where he saw the other two sannins and a jonin level ninja head for the area near where he and Naruto were last night. He smiled as he watched Naruto involuntarily flinch and support his right leg.

"Yeah, it does seem like he over exerted himself last night with his training. I guess my sparring didn't help." Jyouki stood and walked to the other side of the roof.

"Hmm, what?" Jyouki randomly asked, though it was so quiet and barren that it was improbable that there was another person around to speak to. "Naw, he'll be ok and besides that, he has two sannins with him." Jyouki jumped off the roof and headed for the Land of Waves with a smile.

"And that's beside the point; I'm going to have to meet him again anyways..." Jyouki's smile disappeared and replaced with a frown. "As it is my destiny."

[*.*.*.*]

Orochimaru stopped in the middle of an open grass field, Kabuto landing not too far away. Tsunade appeared a second later, twenty feet away from both of them, not even breathing heavily. Not wanting to give him any breathing room, Tsunade rushed towards Orochimaru, cocking her fist back.

Kabuto moved in between them and tried to touch her shoulder with his hand that glowed with blue chakra. She abandoned her frontal attack to jump out of the way of Kabuto's attack, knowing exactly what he was trying to do.

"So you have some skills in the medical arts, huh brat?" Tsunade rhetorically asked. She smirked and charged again, this time, her own hands glowing with her chakra. Kabuto pushed his glasses up with his index finger and then charged her as well. She ducked under his left punch and kicked him in the solar plex. Kabuto flew back a few feet from the force behind the kick but recovered before he hit the ground.

She charged once more and was able to dodged another one of his attacks and touched his knees and shoulders. He was surprised to lose feeling in his arms and legs for a second before going down. Tsunade didn't stop as she continued to run towards Orochimaru. She jumped in the air and brought her right leg up.

"**Legendary Heel Drop!**" Tsunade yelled as the jumping axe kick came in contact with Orochimaru's head. She smirked, having thought she rid herself of the snake. A dark chuckle was heard behind her and she froze.

"So close Tsunade-hime but not close enough." Tsunade looked down and saw the Orochimaru she hit was only a mud clone. Orochimaru's tongue then wrapped around her waist and propelled her to the other side of the grass field. Her back slammed into a giant boulder, causing the force behind her to crack the boulder. She fell to her knees and tried to catch her breath. The force of the blow knock the wind out of her.

"What's the matter? Are you tired already?" Orochimaru mocked, Tsunade growled as she willed her body to stand. She charged towards Orochimaru again but stopped when a hand touched her left knee and she fell forward. She recovered into a roll and remained at her knees. She grabbed her knee and looked at it. Nothing seemed wrong but as a medical nin, Tsunade knew better.

Tsunade tried to stand but her right arm moved forward when she tried to move her left leg. Her eyes widened and she looked up to see Kabuto standing smugly over her. He pushed his glasses back with his right index finger with a smirk.

"That is a very interesting jutsu, sadly, I already know of it." He said, adding insult to injury. Tsunade swore as she tried to work out the mechanics in her leg. She was able to rise to her feet but was still a little wobbly. Kabuto chuckled and ran to her. She touched her left elbow, right shoulder and right quadricep. She fell back to the ground and cursed even louder.

"It's a fairly decent jutsu to learn once you get the hang of it. Orochimaru warned me of your Nervous System Rupture Jutsu. By converting your chakra into electricity, you're able to flip your opponent's nervous system signals to any part of the body. It took me a while but I got it down."

"You bastard! How did you find a way to negate that effect?" Tsunade asked as she continued to learn how her body worked.

"Oh I didn't, I just relearned the connection between my thoughts and my limbs." Orochimaru chuckled as he saw Kabuto pick up a still stunned Tsunade.

"Ah, this is wonderful, now you will return with us to Oto and there I will force you to heal me arms." Orochimaru said hungrily. Tsunade glared at her ex-teammate as she was brought closer to him by Kabuto. Tsunade smirked as she was able to figure her body out and punched Kabuto back with a left hook.

Lucky for him, her punch wasn't fully charged like it was before. He skidded to a halt a few feet away and smirked.

"It seems like she still has a little fight left in her." Orochimaru said with amusement. Kabuto quickly takes out a kunai and quicker than she could react, cuts her right shoulder. It wasn't deep but it was deep enough to shed her blood. She gasped in pain and grabbed her shoulder. She froze in fear and recognition. She pulled her hand out of her shoulder and shook in fear at the sight of her blood in her hand.

Memories of failing to save her loved ones replayed in her head over and over again, no sign of stopping in view. She rocked forward and backwards repetitively, trying to stop the memories from playing over again.

Kabuto almost felt sorry for having to use such force on a woman. He picked Tsunade up by her neck and kicked her in the stomach making her rool back.

The key word being 'almost'.

"Pathetic, one of the sannins cowering in the sight of her own blood, truly pathetic. And it's the best medic nin too." Kabuto insulted, making Tsunade feel worse.

"Knock her out Kabuto, so we can leave before that idiot of a teammate can come and save her." Orochimaru commanded, earning a nodded from Kabuto. His right hand glowed with his blue chakra and he casually walked up to Tsunade, ready to knock the sannin out. A strong presence stopped him in his tracks and he became wary of his surroundings.

Kabuto could feel the presence arrive to his spot but could do no more than see blond hair come in contact with his head. His mind shut down as his entire being flew back and rolled on the floor. Orochimaru scowled at the sight of Naruto with an unreadable expression. He was looking at orochimaru but Orochimaru wasn't able to name the expression he saw in his eyes. The best expression he could come with was revenge.

Naruto could feel Kyuubi's rage accumulating in him for what was done to the old man and his mother but it was only a candle in comparison to Naruto's rage. The only reason why he wasn't in his demon cloak was because of his mask and his training.

Amir had warned him of rushing into battle. It was very common for the people in his clan but was also the reason they were wiped out. Naruto could sense the pure evil and strength behind the pale man in front of him. He snarled after being in his presence for longer than a minute and all he wanted to do now was obliterate the man with all his power.

Slowly but surely, Naruto pulled out one of his swords and placed it in his right hand. He placed his right leg in front of his and his left behind him. Separating them by twenty five inches, he dent down a little and placed his left hand on the grip of his other sword, in case the situation needed both swords.

"Naruto, hold on!" Jiraiya yelled as he and Shizune appeared next to a shocked Tsunade, who was still unaware of Naruto's or anyone else's presence. Naruto didn't respond to Jiraiya, just stood as he was without moving an inch. He ducked under the roundhouse kick Kabuto sent to his head and with a flick of his wrist, cut his chest, leaving a decent sized cut on his chest. Naruto flipped back and watched as Kabuto grabbed his chest.

"Not bad." Kabuto said as the cut in his chest started to disappear. Naruto was unfazed by this, but it did peak his interest.

"Not to bad yourself traitor." Naruto spat. He knew Kabuto couldn't be trusted during the Chunnin Exams but he didn't know it was to this extent.

"Ah, I see you know of my betrayal. Sadly, I don't know of you. What is your name?" Kabuto asked as if the earlier fight never happened. Naruto's scowl deepened.

"Dead men have no use information." Naruto stated stoically. Kabuto's smile was replaced with a frown.

"I see." Kabuto moved to attack Naruto again but Naruto just dodged them while simultaneously landing his own strikes. Cut after cut, Kabuto would heal them and act as if they never happened. Blow after blow, Naruto just kept dodging them or blocking them and shrugging them off like fly. Both were getting angered by the others persistence and stubbornness.

While Naruto and Kabuto tried to one up the other, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were at a stand off. Both were handicapped and were at half strength, at best. Neither budged or moved, staring at each other and hating the sight of the other.

Not having the patience to stand around anymore, Jiraiya ran straight for Orochimaru. Orochimaru smirked at the challenge as he charged forward as well. Orochimaru ducked under the right hook Jiraiya threw forward and swept the feet under him.

Jiraiya rolled back as Orochimaru tried to land a jumping axe kick on his chest. Not one for subtle attacks, Jiraiya charged his hand with his chakra and when it was ready, sent a rasengan for Orochimaru's chest. Orochimaru snaked his way around the rasengan and kneed Jiraiya in the stomach.

His vision blurred as the impact of the hit reached his brain and registered it as pain. Jiraiya took a few steps back and almost tripped, the effect of the drug given to him from the previous night still active. Orochimaru didn't stop there, he used his tongue to strangle Jiraiya and throw him away, much like he did to Tsunade earlier.

Jiraiya though saw this coming. He grabbed on to Orochimaru's tongue as he was flung into the air. Orochimaru was surprised as he was lifted off the ground. Jiraiya spun in mid-air and made Orochimaru slam into the ground before he did. The resulting action caused a crater to form and Orochimaru groaned. Without his hands, he wasn't able to use the substitution jutsu or a mud clone. He slowly stood as his knees buckled and his head throbbed with pain.

Naruto was reaching his limit. To be more precise, the limit to his patience. Neither of the two shinobis were able to get the upper hand on the other and it was starting to get to him. Naruto thought the best thing he would do is tire Kabuto until he depleted his chakra reserves and then strike him down. What Naruto hadn't taken into account when making his plan was his impatience.

"You are very skilled with your swords but they will not be enough to stop me. For you see, I am up to par with the legendary Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan." Kabuto boasted as he tried to cut Naruto's muscle tissue with his chakra scalpel. He expected for Naruto to cower in fear and become a sitting duck. The last thing he expected was exactly what he got. Naruto's eye brightened with new determination and he could see a smile form behind his mask.

"Really now? Then I'm sorry for holding back." Kabuto's eyes were as wide as saucers after hearing this. He was not prepared for Naruto's speed to pick up and his strength to double. Kabuto growled as another cut was healed by his Pre-Healing Jutsu, but this one didn't not heal as quickly as before. If anything, something was blocking his chakra from sealing up the wound. It stung and felt very powerful.

Naruto slashed Kabuto's left forearm with another swing of his sword and jumped back after Kabuto touched his right shoulder for the tenth time. Naruto felt his grip on his sword loosen but thanks to Kyuubi's regenerating powers, his right arm healed and his grip on the sword tightened again.

_**'Hey kit, now would be a good time to end this wouldn't you think so?'**_ Kyuubi said in his mind. Narurto mentally nodded and suppressed some of Kyuubi's chakra against the blade of his sword. The swords now glowed an eerie red glow as Naruto ran towards Kabuto. Out of nowhere, Naruto's vision blurred and his tripped on his own feet, causing his attention to disappear and the chakra on his sword to disappear.

Taking note of the momentary distraction, Kabuto met Naruto in the middle and connected an uppercut with his chin, making him drop his swords. Naruto took a few steps backwards and before he fell back, Kabuto lightly touched his chest with the chakra scalpel.

Naruto gasped in pain as his heart constricted and the blood stopped flowing. He fell to his knees as he felt the life being sucked out of him. Kabuto smiled as he ran passed Naruto and straight for Tsunade, eager to please his master. His smile was replaced with a scowl when Shizune appeared in front of her master and shot off several senbon needles from a device on her forearm.

Kabuto lazily avoided them and tried to kill Shizune with the chakra scalpel but she was more flexible then she let on. She bent backwards, completely doding the chakra scalpel, sucked in a deep breath and blew out poison. Kabuto covered his face with his left forearm while he jumped out of the cloud of poison.

Determined to keep her master safe, Shizune charged her hands with chakra and ran up to Kabuto to end the fight. She touched his chest and his eyes widened in shock. Unfortunately, the Kabuto she touched melted into mud and fell to the ground. From nowhere, Shizune was knocked unconscious by Kabuto who chopped her neck with his hand.

Kabuto set his sights on Tsunade as he walked up to her. He picked her up by her neck with his left hand and smirked. Tsunade was still in shock but was now aware of her situation. Afraid of her own blood being spilt, all she could do was whimper. Kabuto sneered in her face as he cocked his right fist back, ready to knock the medical sannin out.

Killing intent filled the air as an insane amount of chakra was building up behind Kabuto. He turned around and saw Naruto stand with red chakra surrounding his entire body. Fox ears made of chakra appeared on his head and a chakra tail behind him. His eyes were red with slit pupils and held a new found hatred for the sannin's right-hand man.

"**Touch her again and it'll be the last thing you'll do!**" A possessed Naruto yelled as Kabuto felt his grip on Tsunade waver and the sound of her body hitting the ground filled the air. Not exactly thinking straight, Kabuto turned on his heel and kick Tsunade in the stomach, launching her back. Naruto growled as he got on all fours.

"**I warned you...**" Naruto growled in a dangerously low voice. He disappeared and reappeared in front of Kabuto and before he could move, Naruto grabbed Kabuto with a chakra hand and threw him into the air. Naruto jumped into the air after him, appearing over Kabuto. Making short work of hand signs, Naruto made five clones, four of which grabbed on to a different part of Kabuto's body. With a strong heave, all four pushed Kabuto faster to the ground.

The crater Kabuto's body made was a decent sized, seven feet in width, four feet in length. Kabuto groaned as he forced one eye open but soon wish he hadn't. Naruto was falling towards him with break neck speeds but it was what in his hands that scared him.

Perfectly rounded and spinning quickly, a red rasengan waited patiently in Naruto's claw until it came in contact with Kabuto's body. With a quick jab, Naruto let out a feral yell.

"**Rasengan!**" A huge explosion rocked the Earth, making everyone look away from the blast. When it finally cleared, Only Naruto was seen who had both claws clenched tight. He tilted his head back and let out another growl into the air. He then dropped onto all fours and started to search for the other snake. He spotted Kabuto near him under a boulder and in no condition to continue fighting.

Ignoring him, Naruto spotted Orochimaru heading straight for Tsunade who was unresponsive to him. Naruto growled as he prepared himself to sprint in front of the sannin and block the katana that appeared out of his mouth. His legs numbed and Naruto fell on his face before he was able to run. He looked down and saw Kabuto faintly smiling at him.

Naruto sneered as he kciked Kabuto in the face with his last remaining strength and knocked him out. Naruto looked back up with hopeful eyes but saw that Tsunade only had a half a second left before Orochimaru would kill her.

_'Move damn it... MOVE!'_ Naruto thought as he legs didn't respond to his command. _'I won't lose them... mom, Hinata-chan... even you Baa-chan. I won't let you down!'_ Naruto internally yelled.

[*.*.*.*]

"You are not worth the trouble you have caused. You will die where you stand!" Orochimaru yelled as he position the Kisangani Sword to pierce Tsunade's heart. Tsunade could do nothing as the blade came closer to its target. A small tear fell down her cheek as she took in her last breath.

The sounds of the blade piercing skin was heard through out the entire area. Blood traveled down the blade as it appeared on the other side of the body. Tsunade's eyes widened at seeing her savior being stabbed through his chest. Orochimaru only scowled that he had missed his heart but was content that he would rid himself of another pest.

"Y-You... bastard. I-I won't let you hurt... T-Tsunade-b-baa-chan..." Naruto said with a tired smirk. Blood flowed out through the hole in his chest and his lips. He coughed up some blood and then firmly held on to the grip of the Kisangani Sword, right over Orochimaru's tongue. He then sparked a fire using Kyuubi's chakra and the green fire suddenly turned blue and badly burned Orochimaru's tongue.

He let out a yell of pain as Orochimaru tried to let go of his sword but Naruto's grip on his tongue and sword prevented him from doing so. Orochimaru, in an act of desperation, kicked Naruto multiple times in the stomach until he let go and fell back. Before he was able to make contact with the ground, Tsunade snapped out of her stupor and rushed toward his side.

When he landed on the ground, Naruto tilted his head back and looked at Tsunade in the eyes.

"So baa-chan... did I i-impress you y-yet?" Naruto asked through the fatigue and pain. Tsunade felt tears shed from her eyes as her hands glowed green from her Healing Jutsu.

"You brat, how could you just use yourself as a shield to protect me? Don't you have a girlfriend back home and a dream to fufill?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah b-but that d-doesn't mean I should let you d-die. We still h-have the matter of the b-bet." Naruto replied weakly, his vision getting worse with every passing moment. Tsunade momentarily stopped using her healing jutsu to remove her necklace and place it on Naruto.

"Yeah you stupid brat, you managed to impress me." Tsunade said, making Naruto smile and close his eyes.

"That's good, now I can rest easy knowing that you're going to save Hinata-chan and mom." Naruto's breathing relaxed so much so that it almost appeared like it wasn't moving. Tsunade started to panic as she used every amount of her being to help save Naruto. A dark chuckle caught Tsunade's attention and she looked up to see Orochimaru smiling at her.

"First that idiot Jiraiya falls by my hands, now it's the Hokage's son. How wonderful." Orochimar commented with a lick of his lips. Tsunade felt her blood boil and her strength return to her. She stood up after making sure Naruto would survive and faced Orochimaru.

"Shut up!" She yelled but Orochimaru only chukled louder.

"Why should you care what happens to a lowly genin like him. He is just a pawn, common and expendable." Orochimaru said in a mocking tone. Tsunade was looking down so Orochimaru wasn't able to see her expression but still, he didn't like the aura he felt radiating from her.

"This lowly genin has taught me that if you fight for what you believe in, you will never fail in gaining what you want. This lowly genin has showed me the error of my ways." She cracked her knuckles and ran towards Orochimaru. He saw the same determination and look of revenge in her eyes that the blond genin had earlier.

"This _lowly _genin is part of _my _village! And as the Fifth Hokage, this lowly genin's health is my responsiblity!" Tsunade yelled.

She grabbed his neck before he was able to stop her and slammed him into the ground. She then proceeded to repetitively punch his torso until it fracture the ground under them. She back up for a second to take a breath but that was enough time for Orochimaru to send the Kisangani Sword towards her chest. Tsunade was able to move out of the way at the last second and the sword went through her shoulder instead of her chest.

With a simple move of his tongue, the sword violently removed itself from Tsunade's shoulder. Tsunade let out a gasp of pain as she grabbed her shoulder to stop the blood from flowing freely. She kept reminding herself that she was fighting for Naruto so she wouldn't go into shock like before.

She positioned her hands on the release sign and felt her chakra concentrate on the diamond on her head.

"**Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration!**" The diamond glowed as and odd tattoo appeared over her forehead. The cut on her shoulder disappeared and she felt replenished, almost as if she had just came out of a spa. With new found speeds, Tsunade quickly appeared behind Orochimaru and backhanded him. He was sent into the distance and Tsunade chased after him.

She was in front of a still moving Orochimaru as she slammed her boot against his chest and drove it into the ground. Still not done with him, Tsunade added even more chakra into her fist as she drove it into Orochimaru's face. The resulting event caused the Earth to shake and Orochimaru's head to disappear into the ground.

Tsunade scowled as Orochimaru dissolved into mud and disappeared.

"As much fun as this reunion was Tsunade, I am sadden to tell you that I cannot stay for much longer." Tsunade turned around to see Orochimaru holding a semi-conscious Kabuto. "Though remember this, Konoha will fall by my hands. Be sure of it."

With that said, Orochimaru and Kabuto started to descend deeper into the ground. Leaving behind an angry Sannin, unconscious Shizune and Naruto and a just waking Jiraiya.

[*.*.*.*]

The sounds of birds chirping in the background started to soothe Naruto as his unconscious mind started to wake up. He hesitantly opened his eyes and saw someone he hadn't expected to see so soon.

"H-Hinata... hime?" Soft lavender eyes stared back into tired cobalt ones. A smile graced Hinata's lips as she got closer to Naruto.

"Hello Naruto-kun." She said in a soft voice that was music to Naruto's ears.

"Hinata-hime, you're awake... I'm so glad." Naruto managed to say through his fatigue. His smile faltered when he saw Hinata shake her head.

"I am sorry Naruto-kun but I am still not awake." She said.

"B-But what do you mean? Then how..." Naruto stopped his barage of questions when hinata placed a delicate and petite finger on his lips.

"Now is not the time for questions. Now is the time to wake up." Hinata stood and Naruto willed himself to do the same. "Please Naruto-kun, wake up, wake up."

"Hinata-hime, what do you mean? Aren't I already awake?" Hinata didn't answer as she brought herself closer to him. She stood on the tips of her toes and her lips were so close to his that he could feel her breath on his lips.

"Just wake up."

-----

Out in the waking world, Tsunade, Shinzune and Jiraiya stood over Naruto who has yet to wake up. They have been traveling for days now, heading for home and Naruto still hasn't woken up yet.

Having had enough, Tsunade started to tell Naruto to wake up. She knew it was childish to just repeat to wake up to a comatose person but she couldn't care less at the moment.

Naruto's eye slowly fluttered open until his vision wasn't blurred. He looked around and found himself surround by Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraya.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" He asked with a raspy voice. Tsunade rushed by his side and hugged him with such force that Naruto could feel himself losing consciousness again.

"Tsunade-sama, if you don't ease up a bit, I think he'll lose consciousness again." Shizune warned, making Tsunade blush a little and let him go. Naruto started to gasp for air, having the previous air knocked out of him by the super bear hug.

"So brat, how're you feeling?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto was about to answer but Shizune brought him a cup of water. He chugged it all down and thanked Shizune after he ws done with it.

"I've had better days." Naruto answer with his usual demeanor. He then looked at Tsunade. "So are you coming back to Konoha or just continued to gamble away your life at casinos." Naruto asked with a sarcastic tone. Tsunade sighed as she calmed her anger down.

"Yes, I'm coming back to stay... That is if it's ok with you." She said with a semi-sarcastic tone. Naruto smiled even through his exhaustion.

"It's ok as long as your bad habits remain part of your past."

"You better watch your mouth brat or I'll have you and your team perform D-rank missions for a month!" Tsunade threatened as Naruto's smile faded, making everyone crack up in a fit of laughter.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"Oink-oink!"

"AH TONTON! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM?!"

**

* * *

Now that that's out of the way, Hinata will finally wake up by the next chapter! Aren't you happy?!!! Maybe happy enough to leave a review telling my how much you can't wait for Hinata to wake up? And she will wake up next chapter and if I'm satisfied with the amount of reviews I get, I might even put a lemon in the next chapter... That is a maybe because I might have an idea for a lemon, might not... Depending on what idea I get for the lemon...  
**

**I spent the better part of the week working on this and I hope it was worth it... This is porbably one of my longest chapters ever... Sorry I ended it here but I think if I would've went on, some of you would've lost interest and just stopped all together...**

**Oh yeah, congrats to Mes-012 for actually winning my "Naruto's mask!" contest thing... This person just came out of nowhere and guessed what Naruto's mask was for correctly... ON THE FIRST GUESS TOO! So I let his OC, Jyouki, be in the story... Though he'll come back later, he will be important later on so you don't have to worry about a Rogue OC attacking hinata or anyone else again...**

**In other news, has anyone read the newest manga of Naruto? If you have, didn't you want to yell "What the hell?!" When Sakura did what she did?**

**I know I did... She needs to get her sh*t stright before someone does it for her... And what was up with Sai? Didn't he look a bit suspiscious behind that box thing he was hiding behind?**

**Anyways I have one last favor to ask before I head out and sleep for... *looks at watch* hmm maybe for the next 24 hours... Can everyone check out "The Calm before the Storm" for me? It's my newest story which I adopted from IfakeoutI... He lost interest in it and I really didn't want to see such a good plot go to waste... So please check it out and if you like it please leave a review or something... Thanks for at least hearing me out...**

**Next Chapter: The Anticipated Event, the Awakening...**

******Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	26. The Awakening and Confrontation

**Yo, I finally got this chapter down... and it has a special surprise inside...**

**That's right! A LEMON!!!!**

**If it's not up to your standards for you regular lemon readers [can't talk since I'm technically one too, just haven't had the time to do so...],I'm sorry but remember, this is my first attempt at a lemon and I gotta say, i think i did ok for a beginner.**

**Anyways, Review responses!**

**This one's a joint response...**

**Lexar  
2009-11-07 . chapter 25**

_**HINATA'S WAKING UP! YES! CAN'T WAIT! :D**_

**--**

**Leaf Ranger  
2009-11-07 . chapter 25**

_**Excellent. MOst excellent. Hinata and Kushina will be awakened. I guess I won't ahve to set ONi Naruto upon you. Heh heh heh.**_

__

**This was an excellent chapter, with excellent fight scenes. Good job.**

_**Until next chapter.**_

**--**

**Chewie Cookies  
2009-11-07 . chapter 25**

_**YES! Hinata and Kushina are going to wake up!! I can't wait!**_

_**Keep it up!**_

**--**

**Tenshi Namikaze  
2009-11-07 . chapter 25**

_**Yes yes Hina-chan's gonna wake up. You forgot to say that Kushina will (hopefully) be waking up as well, but I guess Hinata is more important. I already checked out the calm before the storm and I like it. Both stories are top notch so please continue with them.**_

_**T.N.**_

**Me[to all the reviews above: I know! I can't wait til she wakes up! And yeah, my bad but I guess me entire focus was on Hinata that I forgot to mention Kushina.. haha my bad...**

**Yes, I'm not going to get the crap beaten out of me! Especially by Oni Naruto... phew... dodged a bullet...**

**Thanks, it took a lot of effort on my part to make those fight scenes...**

**---------**

**GriffensFoX  
2009-11-13 . chapter 25**

_**HI! I like ur story so far... It's been interesting to read. Hope u update soon.**_

**Me: Yes, new fan... haha thanks a lot!**

**---------**

**barak811  
2009-11-09 . chapter 25**

_**m I really enjoy the story thusfar! I think you've got a really interesting and surprisingly original plotline and I'm excited to see where it goes. Also, with a story with as many complexities and details as yours, I wanted to congratulate you on being able to keep everything straight and for bringing up details that, while are important, are subjectt t to be forgotten easily when not often mentioned. Anywho great job!**_

**Me: It's nice to be appreciated for all the hard work I put into this and just saying that makes it worthwhile. Thanks alot!**

**---------**

**nobody1111  
2009-11-15 . chapter 25**

_**well the story improved I'll give you that.  
but here's a little point about hinata, she can't close the chakra points, that was something special about neji a genius.  
so what is the huge of the gentle fist for her?  
from what I understand, using the gentle fist the hyuuga can attack the organs directly, that's why hinata and naruto started spitting blood after the fight with neji, not the chakra points, cause he attack the heart of both of them.  
also, the fact that kasima steals chakra doesn't meam he weakens the opponent when his sword is close to them, only if they use chakra then he steals said chakra, but it won't effect them or people like lee or guy who can't use chakra, so it shouldn't have effected naruto strength till he started using chakra**_

**Me: Ok, let's see, where to start.... oh I got it, thanks i think... I would've normally considered this and your other review a flame but, i decided not to act on it and considered it a constructive criticism...**

**The huge of her gentle fist for- what the hell does that even mean? I don't think I said that she did... if i did then even so, she isn't as weak as the canon so if I wanted her to close chakra points, she will!**

**I don't even know what you're talking about anymore... What does neji's fight with both Hinata and Naruto have to do with your earlier question?**

**Nope, you are wrong my friend, if Kisame's sword Samehada comes in contact with anything that produces chakra, it sucks it up, even when it's not in use... look it up...**

**---------**

**So anyways, on to the story and eventual lemon...**

**Chapter 26: The Awakening and Confrontation...**

**Disclaimer: don't own Naruto... **

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"I've had better days." Naruto answer with his usual demeanor. He then looked at Tsunade. "So are you coming back to Konoha or just continued to gamble away your life at casinos." Naruto asked with a sarcastic tone. Tsunade sighed as she calmed her anger down._

_"Yes, I'm coming back to stay... That is if it's ok with you." She said with a semi-sarcastic tone. Naruto smiled even through his exhaustion._

_"It's ok as long as your bad habits remain part of your past."_

_"You better watch your mouth brat or I'll have you and your team perform D-rank missions for a month!" Tsunade threatened as Naruto's smile faded, making everyone crack up in a fit of laughter._

_"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"_

_"Oink-oink!"_

_"AH TONTON! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM?!"_

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto walked with a spring in his step, smiling widely and with his eyes closed shut. He was so happy and excited to get Tsunade back to Konoha and heal the one person that made his life meaningful. While his mom almost meant a lot to him, she hadn't been there as long as Hinata has. It didn't necessarily mean that he didn't want his mother to wake up or anything; just that his anticipation for Hinata's awakening was more… anticipated.

With a loud, content sigh, Naruto fell in step with his traveling partners who were walking behind the hyper active blond a second ago. Naruto just couldn't remove the smile out of his face, he knew nothing would. Everything was right in the world or at least in another two minutes as he saw the front gates that led to Konoha's shopping district.

Happy-go-lucky, eager, impatient, zealous, all words could be used to describe the emotions that ran through Naruto's mind. He wanted to just sprint all the way down to the hospital and get to work on Hinata, so she could get up and he could see her wonderful and beautiful lavender eyes.

Tsunade eyed the boy with amusement and inner joy. He was so determined to bring her to Konoha just so she could heal the boy's first love that it was starting to get entertaining. At first, Tsunade thought that was all he wanted, that he was only bringing her back so she could heal the girl up and then be thrown away like a used up napkin. That was the impression she got before she and Naruto had a small talk not too long ago.

_Tsunade walked down the trail with Jiraiya and Shizune with Tonton in her hands and were in front of her. Tsunade sighed as she looked up at the sky with slight wonder and depression. In the last week, she had gone from a hopeless wonderer with a gambling and drinking problem to a Hokage with a gambling and drinking problem. It was also in that same week that two different people fought one another just so she could side with them._

_Was that all she really was, a prize to be won after a duel? To be used until she was no longer useful and thrown away? That's basically why she was coming back to Konoha, to heal the wounded and lead a village full of hypocrites and morons. And why? Because Naruto had won against her old teammate, so to speak. He had been able to convince her that she should side with him instead of Orochimaru._

"_Hey Baa-chan, what's wrong?" Tsunade felt a vein pop out of her head and she struggled not to punch the kid all the way back to Konoha._

"_I told you to stop calling me that!" Tsunade said loudly. She looked at Naruto and saw him eye smiling at her with his hands behind his back as he walked forward. He had his head turned to her as he walked to the left of her._

"_Yes you did but it's no fun if I just called you Tsunade-sama." Tsunade grunted and looked away._

"_Yeah well what do you want brat?" She asked._

"_I don't want anything more than what I've already asked of you. But what I would like is to know what's bothering you?" He asked carefully. Tsunade looked at Naruto in the eyes and saw the seriousness in his eyes and sighed._

"_What do you care brat? All you need is for someone to heal your girlfriend and mom and that's it. You could probably careless what's bothering me." Tsunade said._

"_That's not true." Naruto stated, shocking Tsunade. "Of course I care. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't care. While it is true that you are coming back to Konoha to heal my mom and girlfriend, you're also part of my family now." Naruto said with an eye smile. Tsunade was speechless as she watched Naruto with clear disbelief._

"_F-Family?" She stuttered. Naruto nodded his head and looked ahead of him._

"_Family... You're now part of my family. Why, I have no clue but you just are. I got this feeling that's telling me that you're part of my family now baa-chan." Naruto looked back at her and she could see a large smile under his mask. "Sucks for you!" He commented before walking faster to catch up to Jiraiya._

_Tsunade had stayed behind and thought over Naruto's words._

"_Family huh?" Tsunade wiped away the single tear that had accumulated on her left eye. She flicked the tear off her index finger and smiled. "I like the sound of that."_

_Unseen to the group, the tear landed on a single *coltsfoot, sliding down its yellow pedal and onto the ground._

"Ero-sennin! Baa-chan! Shizune-nee-chan! Do you see it?! Do ya?" He asked with an infinite amount of energy. Jiraiya and Tsunade sweat dropped as they each lowered their head so only Shizune could hear what they were about to say.

"Why do you get the normal nickname?" They asked in a monotonous voice. Shizune couldn't help but sweat dropped and chuckle sheepishly. After a few minutes of walking and ignoring Naruto on Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune's parts, they walked into Konoha. Tsunade took a step forward and looked around Konoha. She smiled nostalgically. Not much changed except for the area where Shukaku was released and destroyed a couple of buildings.

Tsunade looked down as she was pulled forward by Naruto.

"Come on baa-chan, the hospital's this way. You'll love Hinata-chan, she's funny, smar-" Naruto stopped talking as he felt his skin pale and his sense go on alert. He turned his head as the presence he felt a second ago confirm his worse fear.

"Naruto-kun!" Many girls cheered as they rushed towards him. Naruto sweat dropped as he turned to Tsunade with a sheepish chuckle.

"Actually, I'll be seeing you baa-chan. I first got to lose these maniacal girls and then I'll meet you in the hospital. Bye!" Naruto said with a swirl of wind and leaves. His fan girls smirked as at least half of them did just as Naruto had done and continued their search for the masked blond haired genin. Tsunade, Jiriaya and Shizune watched in incredulity and astonishment. Tsunade glared at Jiraiya who quickly coward back.

"I thought he said he had only one girlfriend?" Tsunade asked. Jiraiya nodded his head quickly.

"H-He does."

"So why does he have have the kunoichi populace chasing after him?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"I-I don't know, I guess he was a very popular kid when he was younger." Tsunade came face to face with Jiraiya with an evil gleam in her eyes.

"If I find out you've been teaching the kid more than just jutsus…"

"I haven't, promise." Jiraiya answered quickly, making Tsunade back off, accepting his answer. She shrugged her stiff shoulders and headed for the hospital.

"Well, let's go to the hospital, not like anyone else can heal whoever I'm supposed to heal." Shizune sweat dropped at this as she lazily fell in behind her master. Jiraiya was about to leave when Tsunade yelled. "You're coming too you no good pervert." Jiraiya groaned as he hung his head in defeat and walked beside Shizune as the trio headed towards the hospital.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto yelled at the top of his voice as he dodged under kunai after kunai. His fan girls weren't necessarily aiming to kill or anything, just to tie his clothes down to something or at least make him slow down some. Grabbing the swords that were behind his back and unsheathing them, Naruto turned around and blocked the kunais as he ran backwards.

The fan girls squealed at this, confusing Naruto even more.

"He's so talented! He can block and still run backwards." One fan girl yelled. Naruto almost tripped over his feet; that was the stupidest thing he's ever heard. He shook his head and turned back around to run normally and continued to dodge the hail of kunai and shuriken.

'_Gotta think, gotta think.'_ Naruto repeated as he started to think of his options. He had a mob of fan girls after him and to make it worse, they were kunoichi. They were using lethal force to subdue him and do… whatever it is they wanted to do with him. They were all mid ranged from average genin to low chunnin.

He was a jinchuuriki with half the village populace hating him for it, a fourth crushing on him for his mysterious nature and mask, and the last fourth were just indifferent. He was starting to like the indifferent portion more and more these days. Anyways, he was also trained in the ways of the Immortal and the student of the elusive Kakashi Hatake, the infamous clan murderer Itachi Uchiha and Jiraiya of the Sannin.

Granted that the lazy and chronically late sensei didn't really teach him anything and that the old pervert just left him to work on the jutsus himself, he did learn a thing or two from his last and third teacher. Naruto closed his eyes as he jumped off the roof of the building he was on and ran into the woods. Itachi's words rang in his head as he smirked.

"_Stealth; an important term for a shinobi to know and practice." Itachi had his eyes closed and in the lotus position. Across from him was Naruto in the lotus position as well. "However, not everyone was meant for this and you, Naruto, are one of those people." Itachi raised his hand up to stop Naruto from speaking up._

"_Yes, you are very stealthy when you need to be but you are not that type of shinobi. You are more of the heads-on, powerhouse type. This isn't necessarily bad but it could get you in a tight spot. That is why I am going to teach you a genjutsu."_

"_But I don't have the chakra control to handle genjutsus. If I did, I'm pretty sure I'd have a whole arsenal of them along with nin and taijutsu." Naruto said but Itachi smirked._

"_I know that, that is why I will show you a genjutsu that doesn't need that much chakra control, just a lot of chakra." Naruto gave Itachi all his attention as he started to explain the fundamentals of the genjutsu._

'_Time to see if it paid off.'_ Naruto thought as he made short work of the hand signs.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" A second Naruto appeared in front of the original Naruto, not letting the fan girls know that he had made a clone.

Naruto hid behind a tree as the original clone ran passed, followed by the mob of fan girls. With another set of hand signs, Naruto focused a lot of his chakra into the surrounding area. The fan girls faltered a little in their step but after still seeing Naruto running in front of them, they still pressed forward.

Naruto laughed after he saw his clone and the fan girls stop in a screeching halt.

"**Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings**, check. Just to make sure…" Naruto made more and signs and smirked as the second genjutsu was secured. "**Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings**."

Naruto turned on his heel and headed straight for the hospital.

'_Just hold on a little longer Hinata-chan, I'm coming!'_

[*.*.*.*]

Tsunade marched up the hallway of the hospital's fourth floor with a smug look. The doctors and nurses she passed by all stopped what they were doing only to prove that they hadn't gone insane.

Tsunade of the Sannin, best medical nin Konoha has ever produced, had returned. Shizune and Jiraiya followed behind her with pride in their master and friend. She suddenly stopped and Jiraiya and Shizune each cocked an eye brow.

"What's wrong Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked. Tsunade smiled and chuckled sheepishly.

"I don't know where I'm going." She admitted, making Shizune sweat drop and Jiraiya to face fault.

---------

After finally finding the right room, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune entered and examined the person on the bed.

"So this is her?" Tsunade asked and Jiraiya nodded.

"One of the two people you need to heal. I'm sure by now you know how important it is that she awakens." Jiraiya said making Tsunade nod her head.

"So what exactly is wrong with her?" Tsunade asked. A random nurse came in the room with a shy smile on her face. She handed a chart to Tsunade and quickly left the room. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya and Shizune who each shrugged their shoulders in confusion. Tsunade read the chart she was given and her eyes widened after finishing.

"And she's still alive after all of this?" She asked, not really expecting an answer.

"What else would you expect from the woman who gave birth to Naruto?" Tsunade turned around to see Minato smiling with his arms crossed over his chest. He had his back against the window that was not open a few seconds ago. Tsunade looked at him as if she's seen a ghost. "So can you heal her?" He asked in a serious expression.

"Y-Yeah but, aren't you supposed to be, well you know, dead?" She asked amidst her hysteria. Minato nodded his head.

"Yes I am but after some complications thanks to Orochimaru and some sealsg, I'm alive and well now." Minato said but it wasn't enough for Tsunade.

"I find that very hard to believe." She said and Minato sighed.

"Ok, it's like this. Orochimaru used a jutsu to bring me back to life. Afterwards, he tried to use a seal to control me but I was able to overpower it and bend it to my will. While Jiraiya and Naruto went looking for you, I decided to research the seal. I managed to decode the matrix of it and sort of messed it." Minato said with a faint blush on his face.

"So now…" Jiraiya said, trying to urge his student to continue.

"So now, I basically got my body back. Thanks to the fact that Orochimaru used my original DNA to support my structure, I was able to make it dominant in this body and now it's mine to command, so to speak." Minato concluded. Everyone in the room was speechless. Jiraya ended the silence with his laughter as he leaned on Tsunade.

"I told you he was a genius!" He yelled. Tsunade grunted as she rapidly got out from under Jiraiya, prompting him to fall on his face. She then grabbed both Jiraiya and Minato and shoved them out of the room.

"Be that as it may, I still need both of you to get out of the room so I can start the healing process." Tsunade then slammed the door and Jiraiya and Minato looked at each other.

"Did she…" Jiraiya nodded at Minato's unfinished question. "Should we…" Jiraiya shook his head at this one. "So what…" Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. Minato sighed and shook his own head.

"Let's go back to my place; at least I'm sure we won't get kicked out there."

"Actually, now it's called the Uzumaki Compound." Jiraiya stated.

"What?! That woman took my house too?" Jiraiya nodded. "Whatever, at least I know I bought the house." Jiraiya followed after Minato without another word, knowing that there was nothing to be said after what had just occurred.

After reaching their home, Minato could only take two steps forward before coldness of metal touched his neck and threatened to slice it open. Minato moved his eye to the left and cobalt eyes looked into another set of cold, cobalt ones.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Naruto rhetorically asked in an angered tone. "Is someone really trying to break into my house pretending to be my dad?" He continued as his voice became lower, more dangerous.

Minato felt a drop of sweat roll down his face. He has faced an army of high level shinobi and been able to bring them all down without batting an eye. But suddenly his own son has been able catch him off guard and almost scare him out of his skin. Minato cursed his own carelessness and bad luck as his son wasn't giving an inch. His form was perfect for such a situation and even seemed to have a back up if he should get out of this.

"This isn't a joke-" Minato stopped short when Naruto applied more pressure against his throat. Naruto's sword was able to break some skin as a small amount of blood flowed down Naruto's blade.

"You expect me to believe that my father, the Fourth Hokage, who sealed the Kyuubi in me and died doing so, came back from the dead because he forgot to get something from his house?" Naruto asked. The sound of something traveling through the air reached Naruto's ear and he jumped away from Minato and dodged the lethal weapon. Naruto looked up and saw Jiraiya glaring at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jiraiya asked.

"What's it look like, I'm defending my home." Naruto looked up and glared at Minato who was holding his neck with his right hand. He removed his hand and the cut Naruto made healed quickly and not even a scar remained. Naruto's glare intensified and he dropped to his battle stance. "This is the first and last time I ask this… who are you really?" Naruto asked.

"I'm your father." Minato said with a serious tone. With fast reflexes, he took out his kunai and blocked Naruto's double vertical arcs. Naruto struggled as did Minato as both applied a lot of pressure into the strike. Naruto shifted his weight to his left leg and kicked Minato in the gut with his right leg. Minato flew back and into the front yard. He used the momentum from the kick to roll back and jump to his feet.

He threw the three pronged kunai at Naruto who was charging towards him. Naruto shifted the grip of the sword so that the blade was pointing downward. He parried it off but not before noticing the peculiarity of its structure. It was similar to the one the Fourth used to use the…

"I don't want to hurt you son." A voice said behind Naruto. Naruto looked behind him to see Minato holding the same kunai he threw against Naruto's neck. Naruto's eyes widened before they narrowed and he threw his swords off to the side. Minato slowly lowered his kunai and took a step back from Naruto.

Naruto however was far from done, he fell on all fours and then brought his left leg up and it connected with Minato's chin. Naruto flipped back while simultaneously grabbing a kunai from his pouch.

Minato landed with a grunt and pain traveling up and down his spine. Naruto then landed over him and held a kunai in his face, right above his nose.

"Naruto he really is your father!" Jiraiya yelled but Naruto didn't move.

"How do I know that for sure… how do you ero-sennin?!" Naruto yelled.

"I am your father!" Minato all but whispered.

"How did you seal Kyuubi into me, _dad_?! Naruto asked.

"I used the Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal and used the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style to let you access Kyuubi's chakra over time." Minato answered without hesitation. Naruto's grip on the kunai faltered but only for a nano-second.

"Is the rasengan a completed jutsu?" Naruto asked, still unsure that Minato is his actual dad.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I planned on adding an element with it but because of my premature death, I was unable to finish it." He answered again but Naruto refused to submit.

"Who's my mother?"

"Kushina Uzumaki." With each passing question answered, Naruto's grip on the kunai wavered. Suddenly, he couldn't even hold the kunai straight and Naruto titled his head forward so his bangs covered his eyes.

"Last one… why…" Minato looked at his son with worry. Naruto raised his head and silent tears trailed down his cheek. "Why did you use me… to seal the Kyuubi into?" Minato looked away from Naruto, too ashamed to look at Naruto in the eyes. "WHY YOU'RE OWN SON?!"

Minato refused to look at Naruto, he couldn't face his son with this, not yet anyways. Naruto closed his eyes and with a yell, pushed the kunai forward. Minato closed his eyes but felt nothing touch him. He opened them again and saw that Naruto was nowhere to be seen. He sat up and saw that Jiraiya had a solemn expression on his face, looking away from him as well. Next to him, Minato spotted Naruto's kunai but his swords were gone.

"I really did it this time." Minato stated, unconcerned on who heard him.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto scaled the hospital's outer wall until he was outside a window on the fourth floor. He carefully opened the window and snuck into the room. He turned around and saw Tsunade and Shizune standing over Hinata's unconscious form with green liquid in their hands. Naruto didn't want to make them mess up so he waited until they finished to ask what they were doing.

Nartuo took this opportunity of obliviousness to wipe the remaining tears out of his eyes. Then Naruto scowled when he saw the green liquid remove some black thing that came out of Hinata. Shizune then carefully moved it over to an empty pan and let it drop.

Shizune then wiped some sweat off her forehead and realized that Naruto was in the room. She smiled at him and walked over to where he was.

"Hey Naruto-kun." She said in a merry tone. Naruto cocked an eye brow at this.

"Hey Shizune-nee-chan. What're you and baa-chan doing with Hinata-chan?" Shizune looked back at Tsunade who hardly noticed that she had left her side.

"When we found out about the agent in Hinata's head, we gathered up the ingredients we need to form a special type of liquid. With it we can carefully extract the agent while at the same time repair the damage said agent has caused. After the agent is drawn out, it can be used to create an antidote or medicine, which can then be given to the patient to ensure a complete recovery.

"This technique requires the utmost care and ability in diagnosis and incising and unmatched chakra control. Therefore, it is considered an extremely difficult technique, even among medical ninjutsu. That's probably why they need Tsunade-sama and me to heal her." Shizune explained. Again, Naruto didn't understand it completely but did get the gist of it so he smiled and nodded.

Not much time later, Tsunade let out a sigh and removed the sweat from her head with her forearm. Naruto immediately stood and walked over to Tsunade.

"So… is she going to be alright?" Naruto asked. Tsunade looked at him oddly before smiling. She walked over to him and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah, she should be fine now. We got the agent out and we should have the antidote ready before tomorrow." Naruto smiled brightly and he even chuckled. Sounds of moaning were heard behind Tsunade and everyone turned to see Hinata's eyes squinting and struggling to wake up. "Come on Shizune, I'm sure they're more people who still need our help." Tsunade said with a wink and Shizune smiled.

Both left the room and Naruto watched as they did. He was glad Tsunade didn't have to leave Konoha, Shizune as well. Before he thought of anything else, he heard Hinata groan again.

"Naruto…kun…" He heard her say in a raspy voice. Naruto ran into the bathroom in the room with a cup and filled it up with water. He came out a second later and ran towards Hinata's side. He put the cup of water on her nightstand and sat down in the chair closest to her. "Naruto-kun…" She said again. Naruto reached for her right hand and placed it between his left and right hand.

"It's ok Hinata-hime, I'm here." Hinata closed her eyes even harder until they fluttered open. Her vision was blurry and she closed her eyes again. She opened them again and this time her vision was better. She rubbed her left eye with her left hand but felt some resistance on her right hand. She looked down and was barely able to make out her own hand being held down by somebody else's. She slowly looked up and saw someone's face with very bright blond hair.

"N-Naruto…kun?" She asked hesitantly. Naruto let go of her right arm so she could rub her right eye. After doing so, Hinata looked back at Naruto while repetitively blinking. After a while, she smiled as she was finally able to see Naruto. "Naruto-kun, it is you." She said with tears in her eyes. Naruto handed her the cup of water and she drank it.

She put the cup back on the night stand and looked at Naruto. He too had a few tears in his eyes but the smile he had was just how she remembered it; charming and sincere. Naruto moved himself from the chair to Hinata's bed where without uttering a word, wrapped Hinata in a hug. Hinata hugged him back without hesitation and started crying in his chest. Naruto let her cry for a few minutes before gently taking her chin and making her look up into his eyes.

Hinata was taken aback at the amount of sadness, joy and love she saw in Naruto's cerulean eyes. They told her of the loneliness he went through without her, the sadness he experience and the love and joy he got from seeing her wake up.

Naruto was breathless; Hinata's perfect lavender eyes seemed to pierce through his very soul and read him like a book. In the few seconds they stared into each other's eyes, both could once again feel each other's pain, joy and love they radiated.

"Naruto-ku-" Naruto pressed his lips against Hinata's before she could finish saying his name. Hinata closed her eyes and kissed him backing, sorely missing the feel of his lips perfectly in place with her own. Their mouth moved in perfect harmony as Naruto opened her mouth and gently nibbled on Hinata's lower lip. Without pause, Hinata opened her mouth and allowed his tongue entry.

Their tongues danced to the beat of their flawlessly in sync heartbeats and cherished every minute of it. Naruto raised his hand and wiped the tears out of Hinata's cheeks and eyes. Soon their tongues tired and they knew they would need to break for air. Slowly, Naruto started to break the kiss, hesitant on leaving her lips.

Hinata was breathless as she started to pant with Naruto in a similar state.

"I love you…" He said in a winded voice. Hinata smiled and hugged Naruto tightly.

"I love you too Naruto-kun." That was when Naruto broke down and started to sob on Hinata's shoulder. He tightened his hold on Hinata and she patted his back in comfort.

"I thought I would've lost you Hinata-chan… I swear I did. For a while, I thought you weren't going to wake up and… and I… I would've followed you." Naruto admitted. "If you weren't here with me Hinata-chan, I would've made sure I'd follow you." Naruto continued. Hinata placed a tender hand on his cheek. Naruto leaned into it before Hinata reared it back a little and slapped Naruto in the face.

Naruto looked at Hinata in shock. She was staring back with sad and angered eyes.

"Don't ever say that… please don't." She said as more tears escaped their imprisonment. "Promise me if I die, you won't kill yourself."

"Hinata-chan…"

"Promise me!" She yelled.

"No!" He yelled back. "I won't because you know just as much as I do that you'd do the same for me. If I died, I'm sure you'd do the same. No matter if I wouldn't want you too, I know you enough to know that you would anyways." Naruto laid a tender kiss on her lips before laying his forehead on hers. "If you can promise me that if I die, you won't follow, then I'll do the same."

Hinata looked away for a while before returning her gaze onto his eyes. She slowly shook her head.

"I-I can't… do it." She said and Naruto gave her another longer kiss.

"I know, and as much as I don't want you to, I'd know you'd do it." He said after parting for air. Naruto brought Hinata closer to him as he moved next to her and lay down on the bed with her. She tried her hardest to suppress a yawn as she looked at the clock and saw that it was seven minutes to eight p.m. She looked up at him and saw that he had his eyes closed. Hinata smiled as she snuggled his chest.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Hm?" She answered.

"Are you sleepy?" Hinata nodded tiredly and yawned. Naruto chuckled as he moved to get up but was stopped by Hinata who held him down. "What is it Hinata-chan?" Hinata blushed and started drawing circles on his chest with her left index finger.

"I-I was wonder… if you could… stay with me t-tonight." She said, making Naruto's smile to widen.

"Of course Hinata-chan." He pulled the covers from under them and put it over them. Once they were in a good position, both Hinata and Naruto drifted off to sleep, comfortable in each other's arms.

Sometime later, Tsunade walked in to see Naruto and Hinata cuddled up, sleeping and smiling. She smiled and couldn't find it in her heart to wake the two teens, so she closed the door and sighed.

"I think you should come at a later time Hiashi-san, she's terribly tired and is currently sleeping." Hiashi looked slightly disappointed or so Tsunade thought but his expression returned to its usual stoic one.

"I see. Can I come back tomorrow then?" He asked and Tsunade nodded her head. "Good evening Tsunade-sama." Hiashi bowed and then left. Tsunade bowed back and went to Kushina, sure that she was awake by now.

---------

Hinata awoke with a start and shivered. She felt Naruto's grip on her side tense up and held her closer. Hinata looked around and saw that she was in the hospital. She also saw that she was still in Naruto's arms; the left side of her body was right over his left side both their left legs were intertwined together. She looked up at him and saw that he was looking down at her.

"What's wrong Hinata-hime?" He asked. She blushed and gulped.

"I-I'm sorry I woke you up N-Naruto-kun." She stuttered.

"Forget about it, so what's wrong?" He asked again. Hinata rested her head on his chest and heaved a sigh.

"I had a nightmare?" She confessed.

"Oh, about what?" He asked.

"That you died, trying to protect me." She continued.

"Did I protect you?" He asked.

"Y-Yes." She said with a darker blush. Naruto could only smile a fox-like smile.

"Even in your dreams, I'll be there to make sure you're safe." He said and kissed the top of her head. Naruto started to make circles on his chest again and Naruto took this as a sign that she still had more on her mind. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"A-Actually, there is." Hinata got on top of Naruto and nothing about her was touching the bed except her long, indigo hair. Naruto blushed furiously as he felt her breast poke his chest. He ignored his inappropriate thoughts as he focused his attention on Hinata. "Y-You… you love me r-right?" She asked.

"Of course… even when in death's door, I will continue to love you." He kissed her gently in the lips and she smiled.

"And you know I love you, r-right?" Naruto nodded his head. "Naruto-kun, I… I want to go to the next l-level."

"Next level?" He asked, still unsure of what she meant.

"I mean…" Hinata looked away with a dark shade of red on her face. "I-I want to go all the way… with you and only you." Naruto's facial expression turned into one of shock and blushed just as dark as Hinata.

"H-Hinata-chan… A-Are you s-sure? This is a big step." He asked. Hinata just nodded.

"In my dream Naruto-kun, I realized… we can die in any mission we receive, whether or not it's a simple C-rank or an S-rank. Remember how dangerous our first C-rank mission was?" Naruto remembered thinking that Hinata had died. He prayed that that never happens again. "I don't want to go out on missions… with regrets. I want my first time to be with you Naruto-kun." She confessed. Naruto was having an internal struggle.

On one hand, he wanted to do it just as much as she did. He knew that when they chose to take the path of the shinobi, they accepted the reality that they could die while out carrying out their responsibilities as Konoha shinobi. So with that in mind, they also knew that they might never comeback home one day, leaving behind their loved ones and possessions. Add to the fact that a group of S-rank rogue shinobis were after him for the being sealing inside of him and his odds to dying were even higher than normal shinobis.

He had very limited amount of time to live a leisure life and if he didn't take this opportunity then who knows if he ever will.

On the other hand, he didn't want to rush things. If they were to go all the way, what would he do if he got Hinata pregnant? What then? Her father and clan would hate him and might even makeher abandon the unborn child and just marry her off to some random suitor. He would not let that happen even if it was the last thing he'd do.

"Naruto-kun…" Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when she said his name. He looked up to pleading lavender eyes. "Please."

[*.*.WARNING:LEMON.*.*]

Naruto hesitated for a second more before he kissed Hinata passionately in the lips. He opened his mouth and licked her bottom lip. She allowed him entrance and her tongue fought his tongue for dominance. She grabbed his blond locks and went through them.

As they continued to fight for dominance, Naruto rolled over so he was on top of her. He broke the kiss and then started to attack her neck. Taking a short break he said in a winded tone.

"I will do this only because you asked for it my hime." Hinata smiled gleefully and moaned as Naruto started to kiss her neck again. His hands wondered down her hospital gown and started to massage her slim stomach. She shivered under the spark she felt as his fingers passed over her skin. They traveled upward and started to massage both breast. Hinata moaned loudly as he continued his assault on her breast. An idea came to mind and Naruto started to make hand signs then placed his hand on the wall in front of him.

"I placed a silencing jutsu over the room so no one… well, you know, hears us." Hinata blushed and nodded her head. Naruto then made a shadow clone to lock the door and after doing so, he dispersed himself. With everything over with, Naruto went to remove Hinata's hospital gown. Hinata put her hands up to make it easier to remove.

Before she could put them down, Naruto grabbed both of her wrists with his left hand and kept them over her head. Hinata blushed and had to bit her lips down to not let the exotic moan escape her lips. Naruto started to leave a trail of kisses from her collar bone down to the base of her breast. With both of her hands preoccupied, Naruto used his free hand to knead Hinata's left breast while he moved his mouth over her right breast start sucking on it. He licked around her nipple and once in a while affectionately nibbled on it, making it harder for her to resist moaning.

Hinata couldn't hold it in as she let out a louder moan, making Naruto smile as he continued to lick Hinata's breast. Replacing his left hand with his right, Naruto used his now free left hand to knead Hinata's right breast and took in her other one with his mouth. Hinata was enjoying the treatment she was receiving and Naruto was more than happy to give it to her.

After releasing her left breast from his mouth, he gently blew at the wet part of her breast. Hinata arched her back as the new sensation stimulated her senses.

"Ah, Naruto-kun… d-don't stop." She said, clearly breathless. Naruto smiled as he blew at her nipple again. Another moan escaped her lips and Naruto couldn't help but feel his pants get smaller. Naruto then grabbed her wrists with both hands which were still over her head and kissed her lips again. This time, Hinata kissed back hungrily and stuck her tongue in his mouth. Not one to be outdone, Naruto fought back with his own tongue and a new battle ensued in Hinata' mouth.

Naruto slowly moved his hands down Hinata's arms down to her body, lingering as he did to memorize the smoothness of her skin, then cupping her breasts and rubbing against them once more. Hinata whined with pleasure, allowing Naruto make her submit and break the kiss.

Hinata was panting heavily and looked about ready to pass out from all of the excitement. Naruto lowered his mouth to her ear and smirked.

"Hang on my hime, we're not done yet." Hinata felt her heart beat quicken as Naruto moved down to her womanhood. Naruto slowly separated her legs and the smell of her sweet juice on her sky blue panties assaulted his nose. His heart quickened its pace as a sigh of content passed through his nose.

Spreading her legs a little more, Naruto left a trail of kisses on both sides of her inner thigh. Hinata moaned as his kisses were getting closer to her womanhood. With one last kiss placed above her panties, Naruto removed them and stared in awe of Hinata's amazing body. It laid in front of him in all its glory and Naruto couldn't help but feel happy and blessed.

Her creamy skin just glistened with his saliva and some of her sweat as the moon's light shone through the open window. The softness and texture of her skin was calling out to him, asking him to please her. Naruto absentmindedly rubbed her legs as his eyes were glued on her magnificent body.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata said, a little uncomfortable with him staring at her like that. It made her feel like he was trying to judge her or something.

"I-I'm sorry Hinata-hime, I was just admiring your body…" Naruto looked at her in the eyes and blushed. "But it still can't compare to the beauty of your eyes." Hinata smiled warmly and Naruto sighed again. "Hold on."

Naruto moved in front of Hinata's entrance and licked the outer juices from it. Hinata gasped at the pleasure and her back tensed up. Naruto continued to lick her until most of the juices were gone. With that done, Naruto placed his lips on her lower ones and lapped it with his tongue, going up and down without stop. Hinata moaned as this new feeling enveloped her entire being. She arched her back and grabbed the pillow behind her head.

After a while, Naruto stuck his tongue into her, tasting her inner walls and constantly brushing them. Hinata's moan intensified as her back reached higher levels. Having nothing to do with his hands, Naruto moved them up and each groped her butt. His hands knead them, squeezed them, pushed them together and even lightly slapped them.

Hinata bit down on her lip as she felt herself nearing her climax. She wrapped her legs around his head, hoping to prolong the inevitable and bring even more pleasure to her. Panting, Hinata was starting to yell Naruto's name out loud.

"N-Naruto-k-kun… ah, I-I feel… like…" She tried to say but had reached her climax before she was able to finish. "NARUTO-KUN!" She yelled as she came all over Naruto's mouth. Naruto licked his lips before cleaning her with his tongue. Hinata was already exhausted but still had enough energy to moan as Naruto finished cleaning her womanhood as best he could.

[*.*.END OF LEMON.*.*]

After he finished, Naruto got up to recover Hinata's hospital gown that was carelessly thrown to the side and helped her put it on. Hinata's eyes were half closed and Naruto watched as her chest came up and down. He smiled again and carefully put her hospital gown on her. She looked at him with sleepy eyes before opening them completely.

"N-Naruto-kun… a-aren't you going t-to…" Naruto put his index finger on her lips to stop her and shook his head.

"No I'm not Hinata-hime." He removed his finger and Hinata could only watch as he got into bed with her. "At least… not this time." He added as he moved his right hand onto the small of her back and brought her body closer to him. She absentmindedly put her right hand over his chest and started to silently rub her back

"But Naruto-kun, don't you want to-"

"I just want you to be happy, my hime." Naruto interrupted.

"But what if…"

"It won't happen. I promise you Hinata-hime, I will always be there for you, to protect you and make sure you are out of harm's way. And If I should die doing so, I will wait faithfully in the dark until your arrival. Whether you follow after me right away, like I'm guessing you would, or live and continue moving forward, like I want you to." Naruto enveloped Hinata in another kiss, this time it was innocent and full of his love for her.

"And don't worry Hinata-hime, we'll have enough time to finish up what we started here." Naruto closed his eyes and smiled. "I have plans for us and the major one I'm working on is marrying you." Hinata looked up, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Y-You… want to marry…m-me?" Naruto nodded without pause.

"Yup, I plan on making you my wife and even having some kids." Naruto added. Hinata was shocked and had nothing to say. Naruto noticed this and looked at her in the eyes.

"Hinata-hime," Hinata looked back at him after snapping out of her stupor. "When I say 'I love you', I mean I love you. I don't say it just to make myself feel better, I don't say it because I feel obligated. I say it because it's true; I say it because that's how I feel. I plan on making you my wife… unless of course, you don't want to be." He said in a solemn tone.

Hinata started to panic; if she didn't say something soon, she just might lose him forever.

"I-I love you too Naruto-kun and…" She blushed but forced herself to keep eye contact. "I-I'd be very happy to be your wife and maybe… maybe have our own kids." Naruto smiled and lay back on his pillow.

"Someday Hinata-hime, someday we will." Hinata smiled tiredly at him before feeling her eye lids get heavy and close. She hugged Naruto and then felt herself losing consciousness. Naruto was already asleep and Hinata had one last conscious thought before the sleep's siren call put her to sleep.

'_I'll be waiting for that day… Naruto-kun…'_

**

* * *

That's it, that's chapter 26! I personally thought the lemon was good, why? Cuz it was pretty good for a first attempt...**

**If you think it wasn't... well that's you... Give me some advice next time so it won't happen again... Oh yeah, I didn't put Kushina's awakening here cuz I didn't want this chapter to run longer than it should... next chapter, I promise that it'll be the first thing that happens...**

**Anyways, I'm sorry for taking a while to write this but I had some 'research', as Jiraiya puts it, to do... Did you know they're a lot of lemons that are just plain... well the word would be that they 'fuck'... That's not what I want, not for my lemon... I wanted it to be sincere, for real.. not a one-night-stand or a just cuz thing...**

**Don't think I am criticizing those who write those kinds of lemons... I'm not, I just don't want to type that kind of lemon... I just don't...**

**Just to let you know, This story still has one more arc before the Sasuke retrieval arc... After that, this story's done... No, not completely done but it'll be a new one... It picks up when Naruto comes back from his three year training and with new enemies and Akatsuki... I still haven't made up my mind whether or not Hinata's gunna join or not...**

**Gotta an opinion to voice? Let me know, I'd like to hear...**

**More over, I probably will update the next chapter with as much as I did with this one... Also, the coltsfoot means maternal love and care**

**Don't forget to review...**

**Next Chapter: Family fights and hurtful words...**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	27. Family fights and hurtful words

**Hey, what's up? How's it going? ¿Que la vaina y que quieren? Haha I'm just kidding…**

**So, early update! YAY! I was inspired to write this and so here it is… Let me say this now, this one isn't as exciting as the prvous chapter or the one before it but it is crucial… Also, I'd like to state that this is the beginning and a little arc I'd like to call "Lover's Retrievial" arc…**

**Why? Oh well, I'm sure you'll know why by the end of this chapter… MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!**

***Clears Throat* Anyways, did anyone know that they made new Episodes for Inu-Yasha?!!! I'm not kidding! Finally! I thought they were never going to finish it… It's called ****Inuyasha: The Final Act****… Don't believe me? Look it up yourself….**

**Review Response time! [if anyone reads this…]**

**Chewie Cookies  
2009-11-21 . chapter 26**

_**Whoa... That was BEAUTIFUL!**_

_**Plz, keep up the good work!**_

**Me:**** Thanks! My first attempt at a lemon and it was "beautiful"! Awesome!**

**---------**

**Leaf Ranger  
2009-11-21 . chapter 26**

_**Oh wow... that was an incredibvle lemon.**_

__

**If you want to do some research for sincere lemons in the future, I would point you towards Wandering Wonderer. SHe has two fanfics that would work. Blessed Poison, Celebrating the Festivities, and Best Halloween Ever.**

_**YEAH! Hinata's awake! And Kushina will be next chapter... though the title is ominous.**_

**Me:**** Yeah, thanks… incredible is a new word for me, at least for this anyways… I appreciate the help and glad Hinata and Kushina are awake too… haha yeah, there's a reason the title sounds ominous…**

**---------**

**zentary  
2009-11-21 . chapter 26**

_**great chapter**_

__

**pretty sad way for a father son meeting :(**

**for your first lemon it was good**

**over all excellent chapter can't wait for the next one :)**

_**and honestly i think hinata should go with naruto on the training trip because the way you have developed their relationship i think it would be a bit harder for them to be seperated and plus he can have someone to train with since mister perv doesn't exactly do a whole lot**_

**Me:**** Yeah, I didn't want this to seem unreal by making Naruto say 'Oh hey dad, why'd you seal the kyuubi in me? That's ok, I forgive you.'… I kind of made that mistake with Kushina and Naruto but I'm not doing it with Minato and him.**

**And I'm still on the ence about Hinata going but I'm sure she will… or will she?!**

**---------**

**Legend of Namikaze Naruto  
2009-11-22 . chapter 26**

_**Very good lemon. Update sooner.  
Also, there is just no way that Naruto would leave for three years without Hinata. Didnt he just say he'd always be there and stuff? There is just no way.**_

**Me:**** Like I said, I wish I could be it's hard to do that when I got school to deal with… Also, yes, Naruto did say that but what if someone told him that he can't protect Hinata if he stays in Konoha, that he can't get stronger if he stays and that Hinata could die if she went with him… I mean, S-rank rogues are after him, so why not target him while he's away from Konoha… Who knows what I'll choose but till then, don't worry so much about it… I got this!!!!**

**---------**

**Tenshi Namikaze  
2009-11-22 . chapter 26**

_**Nice lime there. It shows that they can get intimate, but still keep the undying love between them there the whole time. I figured you wouldn't go all the way since they still are young, that and the fact that they are in the hospital. This is still a great story and hopefully next chapter we can see some family time with Naruto, Kushina and Minato.**_

_**T.N.**_

**Me:**** Thanks! Yes, I did want to show intimacy, not a one-night-stand… I was a little skeptical at first with the lemon but I went along with it but I didn't go all the way… You are right, their too young to go so far, or at least in my opinion… Besides that, Hinata just woke up and you readers already want her getting intimate with Naruto… sick man, jus sick…**

**Ha-ha I'm just kidding, I get it and I'm sure I'd be the same way but I'm not making them go all the way, not yet anyways… **

**Oh you'll see family time with Naruto, Kushina and Minato… just not what you expect, heh-heh…**

**----------**

**That's it for now… Enjoy!**

**Chapter 27: ****Family fights and hurtful words...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…**

* * *

_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

_"Hinata-hime," Hinata looked back at him after snapping out of her stupor. "When I say 'I love you', I mean I love you. I don't say it just to make myself feel better, I don't say it because I feel obligated. I say it because it's true; I say it because that's how I feel. I plan on making you my wife… unless of course, you don't want to be." He said in a solemn tone._

_Hinata started to panic; if she didn't say something soon, she just might lose him forever._

_"I-I love you too Naruto-kun and…" She blushed but forced herself to keep eye contact. "I-I'd be very happy to be your wife and maybe… maybe have our own kids." Naruto smiled and lay back on his pillow._

_"Someday Hinata-hime, someday we will." Hinata smiled tiredly at him before feeling her eye lids get heavy and close. She hugged Naruto and then felt herself losing consciousness. Naruto was already asleep and Hinata had one last conscious thought before the sleep's siren call put her to sleep._

_'I'll be waiting for that day… Naruto-kun…'_

_[*.*.*.*]_

It was the start of a new day. The birds happily twitted their morning songs and the sun shined brightly over Konoha with such radiance that not a single living creature could continue their slumber. Kushina Uzumaki was no exception.

She groaned as she turned her head away from the sun light and pulled her covers over her head. She hated waking up to the sun light. She would much rather wake up at her leisure and wake up happier, now the world would face the terror of an angry Kushina.

With an angry sigh and a heave of her covers, Kushina sat up and tiredly rubbed her eyes. She moved her legs to the side and jumped out of her bed, only to fall forward as her legs suddenly gave in from under her. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the hit. Instead of the hard cold floor, Kushina came in contact with a soft yet strong, warm object while muscular arms wrapped around her form.

She looked up and saw Minato's face smiling back at her. Kushina couldn't help the blush that appeared over her pale skin. Minato's smile widened and his cerulean eyes disappeared behind his eye lids.

"There's that blush." He teased. Kushina pouted and pushed herself away from him but with her legs in their current condition, she fell back on the bed and grunted. She mumbled incoherent words under her breath as she sat up again. Minato still had his smug smile on his face and Kushina felt angered and happy at the same time.

She hated her morning self; she was always moody and unstable. The only reason Minato hadn't left her was because of the fact that he was always so damn happy. Kushina sweat dropped as Minato's smile still didn't waver after just staring at each other.

'_Where the hell does he get the energy to be so damn happy in the morning?'_ She asked as she stood on her feet and steadied herself. Minato walked over to her and kissed her passionately. Kushina wanted to push him off, curse at him and fall back asleep… though that was her moody side. Her more controlled side embraced Minato and kissed back. She moaned as his tongue penetrated her defenses and attacked her tongue.

After breaking for air, Kushina felt her head feel light headed. She shook it off and cursed in her mind. She wondered if she was really that out of practice that she can't even kiss her husband without getting light headed.

"Morning." Minato said. Kushina looked at him and couldn't resist smiling, even if it was a tired one.

"Morning, so what's going on?" Minato's face suddenly flushed and Kushina noticed a small trickle of blood run down his nose as he stared at her body. "What?" She said and a sudden breeze behind her let her know what exactly was going on. She looked down and saw that her hospital gown had somehow slipped off her body and revealed her body in all its glory.

"Well… your hospital gown fell off, for starters." Kushina's blushed darkened as she picked up the gown and put it back on.

"What do you want Minato-kun?" She asked, her patience wearing thin. She loved the man above all else, except for their son, but he could get quiet aggravating whenever he'd bead around the bush.

"Nothing… I just wanted to visit my wife after she'd been sleeping for… oh, a month or so." Kushina tensed up as his words registered in her mind.

"A-A… a month? I've been asleep for that long?" Minato nodded his head. "Where's Naruto-kun?" She asked. Not surprised the suddenness of the question, categorizing it as maternal instinct, Minato looked away as he walked towards her.

"He's… good." He answered with slight hesitation, one that could easily be overlooked. Kushina, however, was one who didn't let things be overlooked. She cocked an eye brow and placed both hands on her hips.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Minato wasn't looking at her, raising her suspicions and worry. "Did something happen while I was asleep?" She asked.

"Sort of… at least now Naruto-kun knows I'm alive." Minato stated with a smile. Kushina though saw through it and saw the pain and remorse he felt.

"I'm guessing your first encounter with him wasn't as happy as you'd thought it'd go?" She asked, looking around the room for her clothes. Minato shook his head with a sigh.

"I didn't expect it to be happy… just not as violent." He commented as he sat down on a nearby chair. Kushina stopped her search and looked at Minato with a shocked expression. "Don't worry; he's fine and so am I… I just didn't expect him to react the way he did, or at least, as violent as he did." Minato put his head on his palm as it lay against the arm rest.

"I'm a horrible father; not only did I seal Kyuubi into my own son, I can't even stop a fight from ensuing in my own home." He said with deep depression in his voice. Kushina frowned as she saw him remorse his past actions. She walked over to him and sat in his lap while placing his head on her shoulder.

"You're not a horrible father. You did what you had to and that was to make sure that not only the village but your family remained safe from Kyuubi's rampage. The only way you could've done that was sealing it into Naruto. While I'm not really crazy about our son having the greatest tailed beast, besides the Juubi, sealed within him, I understand that because of the circumstances, it had to be done." Kushina kissed his forehead before passing her fingers through his hair.

"Thank you." Minato said with a smile.

"Also, Minato-kun…"

"Hmm?"

"It's not your house anymore." Kushina commented with a giggle. Minato sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"That's what Jiraiya told me. So when exactly did you buy it?" He asked. Kushina giggled again and started to swirl some of his hair in her finger.

"A week before Naruto-kun was born. You remember that one morning while you were working and were so tired you fell asleep for an hour or so?" Minato nodded his head slowly, wondering where his wife was going with this. "Well… I snuck in and made you sign some paper work that legally made me the owner of the house." She said with a sheepish smile

"Why would you do that?" Minato asked in a low voice, still in shock from hearing what his wife did. Kushina fidgeted on her place in Minato's lap while she looked everywhere but his eyes.

"Well… it's like this…"

_Kushina, Haruka and Kakashi walked down the empty road, heading to the Hyuga Compound. Kakashi sighed as Kushina and Haruka giggled and kept each other from falling down. He shook his head as Haruka slurred trying to tell Kushina something. Both were obviously drunk and couldn't make heads or tails of the sky or the ground. _

"_Will you both be quiet for a moment please?" Kakashi asked, also wondering how a fifteen year old ANBU was given the job of escorting two drunken women. With a sweat dropped, he felt the drunken breath from both women on his neck._

"_Aw come on Kakashi-kun, lighten up." Kushina said in a slurred voice. Haruka nodded in agreement as she drank more sake straight from the sake bottle._

"_Hey Kushina-chan, wasn't your anniversary with Minato-kun yesterday?" Haruka slurred, making Kushina's face to contort into a thoughtful expression._

"_Yes… at least, I think it was… what's today?" Kushina asked._

"_October the third." Kakashi stated in a dead pan voice. He knew neither would remember and he didn't want to go through the hysterics he knew both Kushina and Haruka would go through if they tried._

"_Right, thanks Kakashi-kun." Kushina said with a ruffle of his hair. He groaned as he fixed his hair and mumbled something about getting his sensei back for this. _

"_So what'd you do?" Haruka asked. Kushina giggled while putting her index finger to her bottom lip. _

"_Well, we…"_

"…_Did absolutely nothing." Kakashi interrupted. Kushina looked at him oddly before scowling. _

"_The walking scarecrow's right! That jerk didn't do anything with me. HE DIDN'T EVEN BUY ME A PRESENT!" She yelled. The walking scarecrow sweat dropped. Was she really that drunk that she'd mistake him for a scarecrow? He was lucky he didn't say it out loud because he didn't really want to hear an answer._

"_Did you get him anything?" _

"_Of course, I got him the best gift a woman can give a man, if you catch my drift. You know… a little boom-boom-POW!" Kushina boasted as she swayed her hips. Kakashi blushed and brought his headband over both eyes. Haruka giggled and then snapped her fingers together._

"_You should get him back!" Haruka commented, earning a groan from Kakashi and smile from Kushina._

"_You're right! But what should I do?" She asked herself while placing her hand on her chin in a thoughtful pose. Haruka looked at her before mimicking her pose while thinking up a plan as well. Kakashi pulled his headband above his head and smirked under his mask._

'_Perfect.' The scarecrow thought. _

"_Why not steal his home, prank him every day and… well…" Kakashi stopped half way through the idea after he ran out of things for Kushina to do to Minato. Kushina and Haruka's faces lit up like a Christmas tree._

"_That's perfect! After you take the house away from him, you can kick him out!" Haruka said with a dunken giggle. Kushina nodded in agreement and raised her sake bottle into the air._

"_That sounds perfect!" She yelled. Kushina and Haruka drank some more sake after toasting to the plan while Kakashi just smirked. _

'_That'll teach you to make me walk drunks home.' Kakashi thought._

Minato had no clue what to say. He was just so in shock that not only had Haruka and Kushina plotted against him, but his own student. Making a mental note to get Kakashi back later, he narrowed his eyes as Kushina could only chuckle sheepishly, wondering what else she's done while drunk.

"Lighten up Minato-kun, it's not like I would've kicked you out, that was just the sake talking." She said. Minato cocked his left eye brow up.

"So why do you own my house?" He asked.

"I was still drunk when I snuck into your office and made you sign the paper." She answered with a shrug of her shoulders. Minato sighed and grabbed his head in pain.

"Why do I put up with you?" He rhetorically asked. Kushina felt hurt before seeing him smile. She smirked as well and grabbed his chin. She smiled seductively as she made him look at her. She positioned herself so that she was straddling him and resisted the urge to laugh when she saw him blush furiously. She then lingered her hands down to his chest.

Grabbing his collar, she made him stand and pushed him back so he fell back on the bed behind him. Getting on top of him like a predator would its prey, Kushina straddled his lap once again. This time, she giggled when she felt a bump pass by her inner thigh.

"If you want, I can show you why you put up with me." She said in a seductive voice, making the bump she felt earlier hit her again. She giggled as sweat rolled down Minato's head. "Why Minato-sama, why are you so tense?" Kushina asked in a sweet tone, starting to rub Minato's shoulders.

"I-I-I…" Minato tried to stutter out a sentence but it was fruitless, he was already seduced. Kushina giggled again while some of her skin passed over his, he was completely hypnotized and seduced and now she could have some fun.

"It's ok Minato-sama… I can help you remove some of your tension if that is your wish." Kushina added, giving him a shy look and softly biting down on her index finger. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Minato's will and conscious thoughts disappeared as his primal instincts kicked in and he brought Kushina down for a deep kiss.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto awoke with a start and smartly sat up. He looked around the room as sweat rolled down his forehead. He took note that he was still in the hospital room. He saw a neatly made bad across from him and two chairs for each bed. He also noticed that the exit door was still closed and the so was the one leading to the bathroom.

A thought suddenly occurred to Naruto as he analyzed his body's condition. Why the hell was he in the hospital? A flush was heard from the bathroom and Naruto looked up and stood up. He walked slowly over to the bathroom and took a step back when it opened. Hinata stepped out with her eyes closed and sighed.

Naruto then remembered why he was there and images of last night's events passed in his mind in a flash. He blushed and looked away after he and Hinata looked at each other. Hinata also blushed and looked away but still made her way towards Naruto. Naruto looked up and saw that she was within arm's reach so he reached out and gave her a hug.

"Good morning Hinata-hime… how'd you, uh sleep?" He asked, still a little bit out of it. Hinata smiled as she stood on the tips of her toes while trying not to fall over. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before hugging him back.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." She said as she snuggled her cheek against his shirt. Naruto looked at her with a puzzled look.

"What do you mean Hinata-hime? What are you thanking me for?" He asked. Naruto then felt Hinata lean more on him until she wasn't even supporting herself anymore. Naruto picked her up bridal style and she smiled at him.

"I-I'm sorry, I guess my muscles are still a little weary." She said as she cuddled closer to Naruto. "And I'm thanking you for yesterday. N-Not for doing what you did, but for not doing what I a-asked of you." She answered.

"I still don- oh, you mean for not going all the way?" He asked and Hinata nodded.

"I was being rash last night. It was just… the idea of you dying was too much and the fact that we've never done much more than kiss wasn't helping." Hinata blushed furiously and looked away as she continued. "Please don't misunderstand me Naruto-kun, I truly love you and wouldn't not regret making love to you. I just wasn't thinking clearly and if you would've listened to me, I probably would've gotten pregnant." Hinata smiled widely as she looked up at Naruto.

"But you already knew that didn't you? You already thought about the downsides with going all the way with me didn't you?" She asked and Naruto nodded his head.

"I also knew that you and I weren't ready, at least to go all the way. The level we went to was appropriate… at least for some one of our age and besides that, you weren't in condition for it. You've just woken up from a month long coma and such stress on your heart might've caused it to shut down." Naruto added. Hinata nodded again and rested in Naruto's arms.

"I wonder how many girls can say that they're boyfriends said no to sex." She said making Naruto chuckle.

"Me too but how about we get you dressed, we can talk more about that later." Naruto said as he opened the room's window and stepped on top of the window sill. Hinata grabbed his shirt and tensed up.

"N-Naruto-k-kun… what are y-you doing?" She asked as she looked down. She kind of dazed off at the height but soon adjusted to it, if only a little.

"Taking you on a date, what else?" He said, stating it like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Hinata blushed but shook her head.

"But I wasn't released yet." She said but Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"I do it all the time and besides if anything happens, I'll be here for you."

"B-But I'm not even dressed yet." She said, trying to falter Naruto's drive to take her on a date. It wasn't so much that she didn't want to, just the fact that she wasn't dressed for a date.

"Oh, heh-heh, right." He said as he jumped back in the room and walked over to her bed. Before he could do anything else, the door into the room burst off its hinges and Tsunade was seen behind the door with her index finger forward. Hinata 'eep'ed as she hid her face in Naruto's chest. Tsunade looked in the room and saw Naruto and Hinata standing near the bed.

"Ah I see you two are awake, good." She stated as she entered the room. After taking the first three, Tsunade stopped, something on the floor catching her attention. She went against mentioning it right away and settled for a smile.

"What the hell baa-chan?!" Naruto yelled. Hinata looked up and her eyes squinted as she tried to remember who the lady reminded her of. With speeds only a ninja could do, Tsunade was besides Naruto and flicked his forehead. Naruto took a step back and scowled.

"I told you not to call me that brat!" She said loudly, not yet at the level of yelling. "And no one told you to lock the door. Why was it locked anyways?" She asked suspiciously. Naruto and Hinata tensed but Naruto was the first to recover.

"Because I didn't want anyone interrupting Hinata while she slept." Naruto answered with a blush. Tsunade looked at Hinata who nodded her head. It suddenly clicked in Hinata's mind who she was looking at.

"A-Are you Tsunade… Tsunade of the Sannin?" She asked in shock. Tsunade smiled while her eyes closed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes I am and by the way I see the brat holding you, I'd have to guess that you are Hinata, am I right?" Tsunade asked, earning a slow nod from Hinata. "I heard so much about you."

"Y-You have?" Hinata asked.

"Yup, it's hard not to when you hang around the brat all the time. It was always 'Hinata-chan this' and Hinata-chan that'. He wouldn't shut up about you." Tsunade said making Naruto blush and feel uncomfortable while making Hinata feel warm inside. "By the way brat, your mom's awake and she wants to talk to you… right now!" Naruto quickly nodded his head and put Hinata back on her bed.

Hinata snuck a kiss from Naruto's lips while he placed the covers over her. Naruto smiled as he left the room and was out of sight. Tsunade walked to the door on the floor and put it back to its place.

"You're lucky to have someone as devoted to you as him." Tsunade said as stood across Hinata's bed. "Did you know he faced my old teammate just to make sure I came here to heal you?" Hinata's eyes widened in shock while she shook her head. Tsunade smiled and shook her head. "Don't take that kid for granted, trust me. Oh and Hinata-chan…" Tsunade said as bent down and picked up an article of clothing lying near the edge of the bed.

"Mind explaining to me why this is here?" Tsunade asked as she held Hinata's panties up by the tips of her fingers. Hinata blushed the deepest shade of red before covering the bottom part of her face with her covers. Tsunade mentally laughed at her expression and cocked an eye brow. "Well, I'm waiting."

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto stood outside his mother's room while thinking about what he's done now. Opening the door, Nartuo stopped short when he saw Minato looked back at him with a serious expression. Not one of hatred, not one of animosity but one of seriousness and maybe a bit of regret. Naruto stared back with the same amount of seriousness. Taking another step forward, Naruto mentally prepared himself for anything.

"Morning Naruto." Minato simply said. Naruto scoffed but did nothing more.

"What do you want?" He asked. He was confused when Minato shook his head.

"It's not what I want but what you're mother wants." He answered.

"Where is she?" As if getting his answer, the door slammed shut behind him and he saw his mother with her arms crossed over her chest and an impassive expression located on her face.

"Sit down Naruto-kun, we need to talk… as a family." Kushina said as she moved Naruto over to Minato. Naruto struggled under her hold but was powerless to stop her. She then forced her to sit down on a chair that was two feet across from the Minato. He was wearing his jonin jacket over his blue shirt and pants which were taped down at the end. Naruto looked up and saw that his mother was wearing ANBU black pants and a blood red shirt.

Naruto sighed as he relaxed under his mother's grip.

"Fine, so what's there to talk about?" He asked. Minato and Kushina looked at each other and nodded.

"What's bother you Naruto?" Minato asked. Naruto couldn't help but glare at him. It was against his nature to be so cruel to someone he hasn't even met before, but it was also because of that that angered him. He was his father, he's supposed to be there for him but instead, he goes and gets himself killed and besides that, he seals the Kyuubi in him

**'**_**Relax kit, I say hear them out.'**_ Naruto heard Kyuubi say.

'_Not you too.'_ Naruto thought but heard no comment after that. He growled and fidgeted in his seat.

"You are." Naruto finally answered. Minato was sadden by this answer but didn't show it.

"Naruto-kun! How dare you say that to your-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Naruto yelled, shocking Minato and Kushina. "Don't call this man my father!" He continued.

"First of all, you don't yell at me! And second, this _man_ is your father!" Kushina yelled back. Naruto withdrew a little but didn't back down.

"No he isn't! Ero-sennin was more of a father then he was. Even that lazy sensei of mine was more of a father to me!" Naruto yelled amidst his frustration. They wanted to find out what's bothering him? They want to talk? That was fine with Naruto. "Iruka-sensei, Itachi-sensei, Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei… they were all more fatherly to me than this man! This man sealed my fate away along with Kyuubi. I was subjected to the hatred of the village, I was beaten time to time again; I was given spoiled food and was even overcharged for the spoiled food!

"Because of the Kyuubi in me, I was ignored by my teachers and had to learn things by myself! Something I learned was that family is always there for you! A father is the provider and protector of the family while the mother maintained the whole damn family! I had neither growing up!" Naruto's anger and sadness flared to new heights as he continued to talk about the sensitive issue.

"I already forgave you mom for not being there but I wouldn't have suffered as much as I had if _dad_ hadn't sealed Kyuubi in me." That was when Naruto broke down into tears and held his head in his hands. "So tell me… why me, why did you seal Kyuubi in ME?!" Naruto asked his father. Minato once again was unable to look at Naruto in the eyes. Naruto growled…

He was going to get his answers.

Naruto jumped off his chair, grabbed Minato by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

"ANSWER ME!" He yelled, his eyes turning red and ferial just like his fangs. His nails grew longer and sharper and Minato still didn't answer right away, instead looking at the floor.

"Because…" Naruto reared the hand holding Minato back and then slammed it back against the wall. Minato's right eye squinted in pain as a grunted escaped his lips.

"LOOK AT ME!" Naruto demanded. Minato looked up and his eyes connected with the teary, angry, sad, hurt and red slitted eyes of Naruto.

"Because I couldn't ask another parent to do what I've done. I was the Hokage and had to not only protect the village but my family as well. If I wouldn't be willing to do what've done, how could I expect anyone else to do it?" Minato answered. Naruto scoffed while he let go of Minato's throat. Minato fell to the floor and held his throat while Naruto backed away, wiping his tears as he did so.

"That's not a good enough reason." Naruto said with his head down and his bangs over his eyes. He walked over to the door and opened it but didn't step out. He gave one last glance at his father who was being helped up by his mother. "I hate you… I don't think I can ever forgive you." Was the last thing he said, after which he left the room and slammed the door shut.

Those eight words devastated Minato's world.

_I hate you… I don't think I can ever forgive you… hate you…_

Silent tears rolled down Minato's face as he stood up straight with his head forward and his bangs over his eyes, similar to how Naruto was. Kushina had her own tears trailing down her cheek while she gave Minato a comforting hug.

"It's ok Minato-kun, I'm sure he'll be able to forgive you one day. I think for now, he just needs time." Kushina said in a vain attempt to comfort Minato.

"I-I failed as a father…" Minato whispered in a broken voice. Kushina held him tighter and prayed a miracle would happen, anything to help her family out. Outside the room, Naruto had his back against the wall, sitting down with his knees up against his chest. He had his head buried in his arms which were crossed on top of his knees.

"Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked up to see a worried Hinata. She wore a blue long sleeve shirt with dark lavender Capri's. She moved to have her back against the wall and slowly slid down until she was next to Naruto. Naruto instinctively tilted his head to the left, right on top of her shoulder.

"Are you ok?" She asked. Naruto shook his head.

"Want to talk about it?" Naruto shook his head again.

"It's ok, I'm sure you'll tell me when you're ready." Naruto nodded his head and snuggled against her neck.

"Thanks Hinata-hime, you're always there for me." He said. Hinata smiled as she moved her right hand to hug Naruto from the side.

[*.*.One week later.*.*]

Hinata was walking down the shopping district of Konoha with a bag of groceries and frown on her face. She closed her eyes and sighed half heartedly. It appeared that just being associated with Naruto made life just a little more complicated than it should be.

Her frown was replaced with a smirk as she didn't let that bother her; the love and affection he gave her were worth all the hardships that followed.

Hinata looked up at the sky and saw the passing clouds move in front of the sun, creating a giant shade that covered the majority of Konoha. A faint breeze passed by, Hinata's hair moving in the direction of it. With her right hand, Hinata moved the wandering strand of indigo hair back behind her left ear.

"Hinata-chan." Hinata turned around to see a woman wearing a blood red shirt with black ANBU pants, a katana tied to the pants and black shinobi shoes. As the woman stood, her long, red hair moved passed her shoulders and onto her back. Her light blue eyes looked at Hinata with an impassive stare.

"Hinata-chan, have you seen or heard from Naruto-kun yet?" Kushina asked in a monotonous voice. Hinata got worried by Kushina's lack of emotions in her tone. While it sounded normal, serious, Kushina was anything but. Hinata knew Kushina was panicking and fearing for the safety of her only child.

Naruto had mysteriously disappeared on the same day his mother and father confronted him and he yelled at them. Hinata regrettably shook her head.

"I'm sorry Kushina-san but I haven't heard a word from Naruto-kun. He sent me a letter a few days ago saying he was ok and not to worry." Hinata let her bangs cover her eyes while her shoulders started to twitch. "B-But I can't h-help it… I can't help worry f-for him." Hinata said, trying to suppress her tears. Kushina's eye dulled as she directed her sights to the concrete floor.

"It's ok Hinata-chan, I'm sure he'll turn up soon." Kushina said with a forced smile. "Anyways, I gotta go, I'm sure Tsunade-sama has some missions to keep me preoccupied. Bye." Putting her ANBU mask on, Kushina disappeared in a gust of wind and leaves. Hinata watched her go and after she left, continued forward. She stopped walking as another gust of wind materialized in front of her.

An ANBU with a typical ANBU clothing, excluding the hood over his head, knelt in front of her with his head down.

"I'm sorry to bother you Hyuga-san but have you seen Kushina-chan around here?" The ANBU asked.

"You just missed her. She said something about Hokage-sama giving her a mission." Hinata answered and the ANBU nodded his head.

"Thank you." And with that the ANBU left, off to look for Kushina. Hinata's eyes hardened as she walked forward. She felt horrible, she had no right to lie to Kushina like she had done but she knew what she did had to be done. As Hinata made her way passed random civilians of Konoha, she noticed a sulking Sasuke walking in the same direction as her.

She walked up to him and called out his name. He didn't reply, if anything, he picked up his pace. This threw Hinata through a loop. Had she done something to offend the Uchiha?

Her attention was soon brought to the Great Stone Faces, the Hokage Monument; specifically, the Fourth Hokage. A pang of pain hit her heart as she remembered Naruto telling her about his own father sealing the greatest of the nine tailed beast into him. Her sympathy reached out for her Naruto, the poor soul had endured so much in his life, and meeting the man responsible for the entire village's hatred must be tolling on his mind.

Hinata shook her head as she made her way through the forest leading to a river. After finding the river, Hinata followed it down stream, her thoughts still on Naruto and his family issue. She soon was lead to a dead end as the river ended at a giant lake. Hinata went over the lake using her chakra and got back on shore, walking up to a giant rock.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh, Hinata stepped forward and through the rock. She peaked out of the rock and smiled as she entered the secret cave.

In this cave, not a sound was heard, not even a whisper in the wind. It was isolated and quiet, yet warm and inviting to whoever discovered it. In this cave, a note was written on a piece of paper which was stuck on the opposite end of the small pool of water that led to the outside world. Hinata walked over to the note and tore it off the wall. It read:

_Put the groceries down and close your eyes…_

Hinata did as the note instructed and closed her eyes after putting the groceries down. She slightly opened her left eye but closed it shut as a voice boomed through the entire cave.

"Ah ah! No peaking." Hinata giggled as she fidgeted in her place. With swiftness only a shinobi has, warm arms enveloped Hinata into a hug and a kiss was gently placed on her cheek. Hinata opened her eyes to see a smiling Naruto. She smiled back, glad to see that his smiles weren't fake like they were a couple of days ago.

"Naruto-kun, when are you going to come out of hiding?" Hinata asked. Naruto's smile wavered but remained in its place.

"When I clear my head…"

"Naruto-kun, it has been a week, haven't you made up your mind?" Naruto's smile was completely wiped out of his face. "Naruto-kun please. I'm tired of lying to your parents whenever they ask me if I've seen you. Please Naruto-kun, come back, I… I want to go out with you…" Naruto looked at her with a puzzled look.

"We are going out…"

"I want to go on a date Naruto-kun, we haven't even had our first one." Hinata continued to plead. Naruto tried not to look into Hinata's eyes but was powerless to do so. Her eyes always attracted his attention and now he was paying for it. He sighed and wrapped Hinata in a tight hug, not a suffocating one, just a close one.

"Only because you asked me Hinata-hime…" Hinata smiled as she let her head rest on his chest. "But I'm not going back home." Hinata's eyes snapped open and she looked up at him.

"I'm going back but not with my parents, I'll move back into Amir-sensei's home again. I'll stay there until one of those two confronts me." Hinata accepted this as she sighed. Then with a hard shove, Hinata forced Naruto back and to the ground. With a show of bravery and brashness, Hinata stripped down until she was only in her bra and panties.

Naruto's eyes were as wide as saucers as she winked at him and jumped into the cool water. Naruto wasted no time stripping down to his boxers and following after Hinata. After jumping in, he saw Hinata moving her index finger in a way that said 'come here'. Naruto complied as he quickly swam in front of her. Her indigo hair flowed freely around her and under the water, the sun's rays of light shone on her creamy skin and Naruto could feel his boxers start to shrink.

When Naruto was within Hinata's reach, Hinata grabbed on to his back and kissed him. Naruto smiled as he kissed back. Starting to lose the air that they preserved in their lungs, Naruto and Hinata swam up and refilled their lungs with air. Hinata then wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck as they both floated on top of the water.

"You're cute right now, you know that?" Naruto asked.

"So you're saying I'm ugly all the other times?" Hinata teased with a pout. Naruto chuckled and shook his head.

"You're beautiful all the other times but right now, you're cute." Naruto stated. Hinata giggled and moved her feet to his chest. Confused by her actions, Naruto could only watch as Hinata waved goodbye to him while she pushed herself back using him as leverage. Naruto smirked as he began the game of tag.

After finally catching Hinata, Naruto and her gathered their clothes and left the cave, holding each other's hand while cherishing being in the other's presence again.

In the distance, a figure smirked as it found its targets. A static noise came from inside the figure's cloak and a feminine voice followed suit.

"_Shadow One, have you located our targets?"_ The feminine voice inside his cloak asked. The figure stood from his place on top of a tree and stretched.

"I have both targets in sight, permission to pursue." The figure said.

"_Negative, now is not the time to strike. Next time they leave their village is when you'll strike. You remember the genjutsu that you're supposed to use right?" _The voice replied.

"Why that genjutsu? Why can't I just knock them out and drag them back?" The figure asked.

"_You idiot, there is no need for such unneeded violence. We need them back alive and unharmed or do you not remember what master asked of us?" _The feminine voiced asked impatiently. The figure groaned as he sat back down on a branch.

"So I'm supposed to wait for who knows how long until those two leave for a mission?" The figure whined.

"_Yes, you know that master has these two at the top of his list. With these two in his collection, he will be satisfied with us and not kill us."_ The voice reminded the figure. The figure groaned one more time before sitting back and scoffing.

"Whatever."

"_Remember, if you fail, master will kill us."_ The figure didn't answer, already knowing that information. Suddenly, something caught his attention and he grinned as he saw a couple walking to Konoha, following the trail and holding hands.

"Looks like I get to practice that genjutsu a little more." The figure said as he stood tall and jumped down from the tree he was on, slowly stalking the unsuspecting couple.

* * *

**One thing I'd like to say before anything else… Uh oh….**

**As you can see, Naruto and Hinata are anything but safe for now… Oh yeah and sorry that the getting-revenge-thing was weak... I really had no idea what to use so i went with instincts, sorry...**

**Also, please review and tell me if I was a little harsh on Minato… I know what he did was bad for a father to do and that it was because of him that everyone hates him but… I mean he didn't do it for no reason either…**

**Well yeah, review telling me if you liked it and/or if I was a little too hard on Minato…**

**Next Chapter: Chunnin Ranks and New Missions, signs of trouble ahead!**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	28. Chunnin Ranks and New Missions

**Yo, another early update… I'm on a roll!**

**Also, I got half of the reviews saying I was a little harsh on old Minato and others that say I wasn't… I was surprised by the amount of yes and "no's… I would like to remind some of the one's who said I was harsh that if he had been any less harsh, it wouldn't appear realistic… I mean, really, how would you react if you were in Naruto's place? All happy and rainbows and sunshine? No, besides he needs to vent all his pent up feelings and Minato's the perfect vic- I mean person for it…**

**Anyways, responses:**

**Leaf Ranger  
2009-11-23 . chapter 27**

_**Well... I do think Naruto was kinda harsh on Minato. I can understand, but I still say too harsh.**_

__

**And also... if one on both of them get's kidnapped, o their relationship destroyed in the next few chapters... I'm so unleashing Oni Naruto on your you. Even if I kno you'll make it better, I still am.**

**It's jsut... well... you're kinda piling trouble on them really fast. I mean... Naruto disappears, and then his evil clone appears, and then the evil clone kidnaps HInata, and posions her, and then Hinata is in a coma after having to fight Naruto an Sasuke, and then you finally wake her up... only to put tem into trouble again.**

_**You need to cool down. Give them some down time to ... to just be a couple. Something to think aobut after the current crisis is averted.**_

**ME:**** Haha yeah, maybe I should be a little careful… We'll see, I got some back up to help me out so I dare you to do something! I got my Bloodline Naruto to help out and he'll definitely even out the fight…**

**I know what you mean, I felt it too but really, does anyone really want to just read about them just dating? I personally do but not just that, I want action! That's what this story is about, fighting and loving! Yes, I agree, there should be one or two chapter devoted to Naruhina or any other couples without problems… It's just kind of hard for me to do one or the other alone… I usually do both at the same time [which mind you is a difficult thing to do or at least in my opinion it is…]**

**Don't worry though, they will be a couple and the threat will still be around though I'm not going to make them doing anything……… yet…**

**----------**

**We Are Legion  
2009-11-23 . chapter 27**

_**I like it I don't think you were too hard on Minato for 2 reasons**_

_**1)Naruto is under a shitload of stress from just living I mean he has a group of s class criminals after his ass for what his father did on top of everything else his life has been**_

__

**2)Naruto has had no one to vent to for 13 years and finally he meets his cause of frustration and just explodes so yeah I think you did that scene justice**

_**Keep up the good work later**_

**Me:**** thanks, glad someone views it in my point of view… This is a good explanation of what was going on in my head when I wrote the last chapter…**

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**Tenshi Namikaze  
2009-11-23 . chapter 27**

_**Even though I think Minato is a badass person, he still did screw up with sealing Kyuubi into his own son. However I can see that it would be an even worse thing to let Kyuubi continue on his rampage or to ask someone else to sacrifice they're children. Naruto should see that Minato had no choice and even he couldn't see that the villagers would go against his wishes and treat Naruto like the actual Kyuubi itself. It is still going good so please continue. Maybe those two stalkers were part of Orochimaru's ninja forces?**_

_**T.N.**_

**Me: heh heh maaaaaaaaaaaaybe….**

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**Last thing; ignore what I said before… The next chapter is the start of the Lover's Retrieval arc… Enjoy**

**Chapter 28: Chunnin Ranks and New Missions, signs of trouble ahead!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… Also as a heads up, make sure to do the math right during the story... I'm sure it doesn't make sense now but if you're still confused by the end of the chapter, I'll be happy to explain...**

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_Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan..._

"_So I'm supposed to wait for who knows how long until those two leave for a mission?" The figure whined._

"_Yes, you know that master has these two at the top of his list. With these two in his collection, he will be satisfied with us and not kill us."The voice reminded the figure. The figure groaned one more time before sitting back and scoffing._

"_Whatever."_

"_Remember, if you fail, master will kill us."The figure didn't answer, already knowing that information. Suddenly, something caught his attention and he grinned as he saw a couple walking to Konoha, following the trail and holding hands._

"_Looks like I get to practice that genjutsu a little more." The figure said as he stood tall and jumped down from the tree he was on, slowly stalking the unsuspecting couple._

_[*.*.*.*]_

Naruto and Hinata walked into Amir's house after training for hours and closed the door behind them. Naruto then noticed something that made him tense up and groan loudly. There was a three pronged kunai stuck on the wall opposite of him and Hinata. The kunai shone and blinked repetitively before Naruto felt two more presence in the room.

Two ANBU appeared in front of Naruto and Hinata, kneeling and Hinata could only gasp in surprise. The ANBU stood up and the one wearing the hood over his head was about a foot taller than the one on his left with the blood red shirt. The one wearing the blood red shirt took off her mask and stared at Naruto and Hinata with an agitated stare. Hinata felt unease under her gaze but Naruto only remained passive. That was until the hooded ANBU takes off his hood.

"We need to talk Naruto… Hinata, please leave." Kushina ordered in a dead pan voice. Hinata watched as Naruto snarled and his grip on her left hand tensed. On the outside he looked angry and on the verge of attacking his parents but Hinata knew better. She was able to see through that and saw a vulnerable boy, a boy who wanted to cry and die alone in a corner somewhere. Hinata steeled herself as she gave a quick squeeze to Naruto's hand and shook her head.

"I'm not going." Hinata said with certainty. Now this really threw Kushina through a loop. In the time she's known Hinata, she would always be the voice of reason and act on logic and manners. But this, this actually shocked Kushina.

"W-What?" Kushina stuttered.

"She said she doesn't want to go. If she doesn't want to go then she's not going anywhere!" Naruto growled as he removed his hand from Hinata's and placed his right arm in front of her in a protective manner. Something in Minato snapped and he stood in front of Kushina who looked about ready to retaliate with a few words of her own.

"Don't yell at your mother like that." Minato warned, shocking everyone but Naruto. Naruto only narrowed his eyes and scoffed.

"You have no say in what I do."

"I do when it concerns your mother and you." Minato retorted but Naruto wasn't done.

"You weren't here for us so don't act like it!" Naruto yelled.

"Why are you treating me like I abandoned you and your mother?!" Minato bellowed.

"Because you did; you left after sealing Kyuubi in me!" Naruto bellowed back. "Like I said before, I hate you and I won't forgive you for what you've done." Naruto growled at the end.

"Naruto you have to understand that I couldn't have asked another parent to give up their child and go through what you have and-"

"And why not?! Is it you care more about those hypocritical villagers more than me, your own son?!" Naruto asked. Hinata was hugging Naruto from behind, making sure he didn't attack his father. Kushina was doing the same but was only grabbing Minato's left arm. "Is it that you hate me too? Just like some of the other villagers?!"

"I don't hate you Naruto, I lo-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" Naruto roared as he struggled to break from Hinata's grip. Hinata closed her eyes as she tried to keep Naruto down. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO TELL ME THAT!"

"It's the truth!" Minato yelled.

"THAT'S A LIE!" Naruto roared again as he continued to free himself. "DON'T YOU TELL ME YOU'LL LOVE ME OR… OR…"

"Naruto-kun, please calm down." Hinata said but did little to calm him.

"Or what Naruto?" Minato asked, not thinking highly of Naruto's unspoken threat.

"Minato-kun!" Kushina scolded.

"What will you do if I tell you I love you?" Minato asked. Naruto looked back at Hinata and said in the faintest of whispers,

"I'm sorry… Hinata-chan…" Suddenly, Hinata wasn't hugging anyone and a blur rushed towards Minato and punched him in the face. He wasn't expecting this and flew through the air, crashing through the house's walls and landing outside with a roll. Minato's vision blurred for a while but returned to normal as he struggled to stand. The sound of a sword unsheathing could be heard as Minato looked up and saw Naruto slowly fingering his swords strapped to his back. The hilts were pointing down ward so it was easier to unsheathe them but then Naruto dropped his hands, deciding to do this with his own hands.

Going down on all fours, Naruto's nails grew longer and his eyes became a blood red color but his pupil remained the same. Minato wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and prepared himself for anything. Naruto then disappeared in a blink of an eye. Minato ducked under Naruto's right claw swipe and rolled to the side after Naruto used his momentum to try to deliver an axe kick to Minato's skull.

Using his veteran skills and instincts, Minato took out a kunai from his pouch and blocked another claw swipe. Without regards to his own safety, Naruto grabbed the kunai with his bare hands and pushed it aside as he reared his left fist back and then swung forward. Minato grabbed his left fist with his right hand and kicked Naruto in the stomach.

Naruto flipped backwards as he landed on his feet. He grunted but didn't stop as he made a modified ram-sign.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Seven Naruto's appeared next to the original one and each got down on all fours while the original stood over them with his arms crossed over his chest. Moving his right arm forward and his index finger pointing at Minato, all clones nodded and ran towards Minato.

Meeting them half way, Minato smartly dodged the first clone's right punch and grabbed his arm to throw him to the second Naruto who tried to jump on him. Both clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke but Minato was far from done. He grabbed the third clone's fist and twisted it so that the clone was facing the other four clones and grunted. Minato pushed him forward and then ran, taking out more kunai. Using the off-balance clone as leverage, Minato jumped into the air and threw five kunais to each of the clones.

The clone that was used as leverage was hit behind the neck and dispersed, followed by another who was too slow to dodge or parry off the kunai. After the smoke cleared, the remaining two shadow clones teamed up and rushed Minato together.

Minato watched as a Naruto clone jumped over him and was now behind him while the other stood in front. With an unsaid go, both Naruto's took out a kunai while running towards him. The Naruto in front of Minato swung his kunai high, aiming for his neck, while the one in back swung low, aiming for his knee caps. Minato jumped into the air, high enough to avoid the lower attack but low enough so he could dodge the higher attack. With a twist of his body, Minato extended his two feet out and one connected with one clone's chest while the other connected with the other clone's chin.

The clone's cloud of smoke momentarily blocked Minato's vision but he could still hear the sounds of wind coming together in a single location. He snapped his eyes wide when he realized that Naruto was now running at him with the rasengan spinning dangerously quick. He tried to jump up and away from Naruto but couldn't. When he looked down, he saw a pair of hands holding him down. With a curse under his breath for being so careless, Minato could only watch as Naruto hastily closed the gap between them and throw the rasengan forward, pointing at his stomach. Minato closed his eyes, a single thought processing through his head.

'_This is going to hurt!'_

Hinata and Kushina were watching since the beginning and had nothing to comment on. Both were to shocked by the fact that Naruto had started a fight between his father and that his father was fighting back. Hinata was the first to snap out of her stupor when Naruto dropped to all fours and rushed to stop the fight. Though before she was able to take her second step, Kushina's right arm snapped up and stopped her from proceeding.

Hinata looked at her oddly but Kushina's gaze didn't leave the fight once.

"Let them be Hinata-chan… Naruto needs to vent and getting this out of his system will help him think clearly. Minato won't hurt Naruto much but just enough to knock some sense in him." Kushina stated. Hinata didn't like to resort to violence to solve problems but she didn't have much choice but to rely on it to solve the problem. However, as soon as Naruto was charging at Minato with a rasengan, Kushina started to panic.

She ran outside and tried to stop Naruto but she knew she wasn't going to make it. By the time she would've reached him, he would've already connected the rasengan with Minato's stomach.

With a final boost of speed, Naruto hit Minato in the stomach with the rasengan.

"**Rasengan!**" Naruto yelled as Minato's face showed the pain he was experiencing at the moment. The rasengan drilled against Minato's skin and he was thrown back from the force of the rasengan. Reaching down, Naruto grabbed the underground clone's hand and threw him high into the air and then adding chakra to the soles of his shoes, followed after the clone.

After both have reached the highest they would go, the clone Naruto grabbed on to Naruto's left hand and started to spin. Reaching the speed he wanted, the clone let go of Naruto and like a speeding bullet, Naruto headed for the spot he and Minato would eventually meet at their current speed.

Minato could feel everything around his abdomen start to dull as he continued to fly back. He squinted his eyes as his back skidded on the ground before going back into the air. He then opened his eyes but then grew as wide as saucers as he saw Naruto speeding towards him. He shut his eyes and grunted loudly when Naruto's head connected with his chest.

Because Naruto's momentum was greater than Minato's, both were forced into the ground and created a crater from the resulting crash. Dust was kicked up into the air and covered the entire area. Back at Amir's house, Kushina and Hinata almost fainted from such a devastating attack but soon composed themselves and ran for their respective lovers. After finally reaching the giant crater that could probably be filled with 500 gallons of water, Kushina and Hinata spotted two blonds try to stand with great effort.

One was holding his stomach while the other held his head in pain.

Kushina and Hinata were about to jump down to help them out but were stopped when the blond holding his head in pain punched the other blond down and jumped over him. Taking out a kunai from Minato's pouch, Naruto shove it into his shoulder. Minato bit down on his lips to refrain from shouting in pain. Naruto then took out one of his swords and pointed it to Minato's chest, the blade hovering over his heart. Kushina started to freak again but this time it was Hinata who stopped Kushina from jumping down.

"Have faith in him Kushina-san and you'll be surprised by what he will do." Hinata commented.

Minato was panting heavily as Naruto noticed that the skin that was ripped apart from the rasengan was slowly repairing itself. Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw Minato try to sit up.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Naruto asked. Minato's bright blue eyes looked into Naruto's blood red eyes with sorrow and remorse. With a little effort, Minato moved his hand over the kunai stuck to his shoulder but Naruto quickly grabbed the handle and harshly ripped the kunai from his shoulder. With a suppressed cry of pain, Minato looked back at his son.

"Because you are my son." Naruto turned the blade of his sword to the side and harshly slapped Minato's face with it.

"Bull! Why didn't you fight back?!" He asked, louder than before. Minato sat up and moved the point of Naruto's blade of his heart.

"Because you are my son and I love you. You are the result of my love for your mother and her love for me. I could never intentionally hurt you for no reason. I didn't mean to ruin your life or abandon you. I didn't want to seal the Kyuubi into you and make the entire village scorn you. My last wish was for them to see you as a hero for keeping the Kyuubi at bay but I had a feeling they wouldn't." Minato blinked away the stray tears that wandered to his eyes.

"I failed you as a father and only wish to repay my debt to you for my actions. I don't deserve your forgiveness and I don't ask for it. I just want you to know that even if you hate me, I will always be here for you." Minato continued as he shed more silent tears. "But if you don't want me here, then go ahead… stab my heart and end me."

Naruto was crying by this time, his strength leaving him and coming back at random times. He felt cold inside, he felt heartless… he felt stupid. He hated his father, scorned him for doing such a thing to him. So why did he feel like crap for trying to kill him? Naruto dropped his sword and the only sound made was that of the sword hitting the ground.

"Shut up…" Naruto whispered. "Why are you doing this to me?" Naruto asked. Minato didn't answer, knowing he wasn't looking for an answer. "I hate you! I should feel nothing! I shouldn't feel bad for attacking you and almost killing you!" Naruto yelled. He was shaking and he was surprised he was still standing. "So why do I?" He asked in voice no louder than a whisper.

"Because you're human Naruto-kun." Naruto turned around to see Hinata smiling at him. Kushina just appeared next to her before running towards Minato. She fell to her knees and hugged him. Naruto watched her and then turned to look at Hinata. He then looked down at his feet and a small flame started to quickly engulf him until he was gone. Everyone was surprised, wondering when he knew how to do Body Flame Jutsu.

Kushina helped Minato stand as he grunted in pain. Hinata looked at the spot Naruto just in.

"I'll go-"

"No, I'll go. If you would can you please get Minato-kun to the Hokage's office without being spotted?" Kushina asked and Hinata nodded her head. With a quick set of hand signs, Kushina put Minato under a strong genjutsu. "Thank you." Kushina then passes the injured Namikaze to Hinata and they both slowly make their way towards the Hokage Tower while Kushina went to look for Naruto.

"Did you mean what you said Hokage-sama?" Hinata asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Minato smiled under the genjutsu and shook his head.

"You can call me Minato, Hinata and yes, I meant what I said. Even if he hates me, I will try my best to be there for him when he needs me." Minato answered. He groaned a little as he took another painful step but was fine after another couple of seconds, getting used to the pain.

"Can you do me a favor Hinata?" Hinata nodded her head and Minato grunted again. "Can you tell me how Naruto's life has been?" Hinata nodded her head.

"He told me that he was constantly ignored or beaten between the ages of three and five. After which he met a guy who took him in as an apprentice and taught him how to fight for a year. When he came back, he entered the academy and ended up saving me from Kumo's second attempt to steal the Byakugan."

"Naruto managed to stop a second kidnapping?" Minato asked, clearly amazed. Hinata nodded her head proudly and continued telling him of all the things Naruto has done and been through. Minato noticed that Hinata narrowed her eyes every time she mentioned his fan girls. He laughed at some of the things he did and frowned on the things that happened to him.

Kushina was having a difficult time finding Naruto. He was very good at hiding his trail and even knew how to create a fake one to confuse his pursuers. If she wasn't looking for him to talk about something serious, she would've stopped to admire her son's work. Deciding that she needed help in finding him, she bit her thumb until it bled and made some hand signs. She stopped on a random branch and slammed her hand down.

"**Summoning Jutsu!**" Cloud accumulated around her and when it cleared, a small lion pup appeared, happily and sitting up straight.

"Hey Kushina-san, what's going on?" The little tan pup asked.

"I need your help Kimi, I need you to track down my son." She ordered and Kimi nodded and sniffed the air. After a few seconds, Kimi shook her head.

"It's very faint and starting to get weaker by the second but I think I can follow." Kimi then jumped down from the tree she was on and started running towards the Northern gates of Konoha. Kushina followed after and wondered what naruto was doing all the way across Konoha. Kushina followed Kimi until she stopped in front of a tree a few meters away from the gates. Looking up, Kushina saw Naruto sitting on the highest branch on the tree.

Kushina thanked Kimi before she returned back to her world and jumps up, getting closer and closer to Naruto. Whether he was oblivious to her or not didn't matter to Kushina, just as long as he didn't try to run away when she reaches him.

After making it all the way to the top, Naruto closes his eyes and shifts in his place on the branch.

"I don't really want to talk about it mom." Naruto said. He was looking out at the almost setting sun. It had been a long day and the fight with his father hadn't helped by much.

"That's ok; I just wanted to make sure you were fine." Kushina said as she sat on a branch above him, also watching the almost sunset. They both sat in silence, even as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Then night's dark blanket covered Konoha and the creatures of the night woke up from their rest and set out to do what they do at this time. Naruto sighed as his patience disappeared with the sun, he hated how impatient he was sometimes.

"So what is it that you want to talk about mom?" Naruto finally asked. When he got no reply, he looked up and saw that his mom was asleep. He sweat dropped as he snapped a small branch off and started to poke her with it. "Wake up mom."

Kushina snapped her eyes open, grabbed a kunai and sliced the stick Naruto was holding in half, barely missing his fingers. Naruto looked at his fingers and sighed contently, glad to still have all ten of them. Kushina then realized what she did and gasped.

"I'm sorry Naruto, it was reflex."

"It's ok, I get… so what is it you want to talk about?" Naruto asked, getting to the point. Kushina cleared her throat as she moved her body so it faced Naruto. Naruto did the same and waited for her to say something.

"Why did you say you shouldn't feel bad for attacking your father?" She asked, also getting to the point. In Konoha's ANBU ranks, everyone knew that Kushina was anything but subtle. Naruto had learned that the hard way after the birds and bees speech.

"Because I h… hate him." Naruto said with slight hesitation in his voice.

"You do? So why did you waver when you said you hate him?" Kushina asked. Naruto tried to disconnect his eye contact with his mother but found it very hard to do. When he gave no reply, Kushina smiled a little. "Because you don't…" She stated. Naruto snapped his eyes closed and grabbed his head.

"I-I do… I h-hate him… I don't…" Naruto said with less and less certainty. "I-I can't… can't find it in me… to hate him." Naruto said in a solemn voice. "I understand that he can't take another couple's kid and seal kyuubi in the kid but… I don't want to…" Kushina titled her head in confusion.

"You don't want to what?"

"I don't want to understand… it makes sense that he use his own kid for it… but I don't want it to. It's just not fair that I'd be subjected to the village's scorn for it. I want to hate him for doing this to me; I want him to pay for what he's done." Naruto told her, holding back his tears.

"Why not? Why don't you want to understand?" Kushina asked.

"I don't expect you to understand but I just don't want to. My life sucks because of the sealing and I just want to hate him… but I can't, I just can't find it in me to hate him." Naruto said. "I know I'm being redundant but I just don't know how else to put it." Kushina frowned a little and wrapped Naruto in a hug.

"Naruto… if you hold a grudge then you're only stopping your own happiness…" Kushina said as she ruffled his hair. Naruto grunted but nodded his head.

"I get what you're trying to tell me, but I'm still mad at him." Naruto said. Kushina smiled and hugged him closer.

"But you don't hate him."

"But I'm still mad at him." Naruto said again but Kushina shrugged it off.

"It's progress." She stated as she suddenly felt a cold breeze pass by. "L-Let's go inside, it's getting cold out here." Naruto nodded his head as he and Kushina jumped off the tree and walked towards Konoha. Kushina slightly turned her head and glared at the forest behind her.

'_Someone's out there… they were watching me and Naruto… the only questions is who are they were after and what for?'_ Kushina thought.

"Mom?" Kusina blinked and looked forward to see Naruto looking at her oddly. "Are you ok?" Kushina nodded her head and walked up to him

"Yeah, just a little exhausted from today's missions." Naruto nodded his head and turned around, heading for the Uzumaki Compound. Kushina fell into step with him and was about to ask him something but he beat her to it.

"You felt it too?" Naruto asked. Kushina nodded her head, though a little surprised he felt it too. "I felt it earlier today. I found it odd that whoever it is hasn't attacked yet. At first I thought nothing of it but now…" Kushina nodded her head, not needing to hear the rest.

"Just be careful next time you leave Konoha." Naruto nodded his head and the rest of the trip home was silent.

[*.*.*.*]

The next day, the sun decided to rest behind some rain clouds while a strong breeze travelled around the area. The coldness it brought made many shiver for those who left their skin unprotected.

Naruto panted as he sat down and laid his head on Hinata's lap. She smiles as she passes her fingers through his blond locks. His sweat rolls down his face as Hinata giggles, in turn, making him smile.

After a short confrontation, Naruto was able to make a sort of truce with his father last night. He promised to talk about it more at a later time though it was never specified when. His father and mother left early that morning to go on a mission given to them by Tsunade so Naruto didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

"Tired already dobe?" Naruto looks up and glares at Sasuke who was barely able to stand. Ever since Tsunade woke him up from his comatose state, he's been nothing more than a prick with a stick shoved up his… "Sad and here I thought you were actually strong." Sasuke turned around and walked away while Kakashi slapped his face with his right hand.

"And here I thought he gave up the whole 'solemn avenger' theme." Kakashi said to himself. Haku entered the training ground a second before Sasuke left.

"Hey Sasuke!" Hkau said happily but Sasuke looked at her before scoffing and walking away. Haku frowned and watched as he left. "What's his problem?" She asked after walking up to Naruto and Hinata. Hinata shook her head with a shrug and Naruto rested his head back on Hinata's lap.

"Who knows… then again, it could be because of his run in with his brother about two months ago." Naruto answered non-chalantly closing his eyes. Haku looked back to where Sasuke disappeared to and then back at Hinata and Naruto. "So what's up Haku?"

"Nothing much, I came to talk to Sasuke for a while but I guess that's not happening. Anyways, I got a message from Hokage-sama saying that she wants you to come to her office, along with Hinata and Sasuke but I guess he's out." Haku said.

"Well, since Sasuke left and you two are too tired to continue training, I might as well check up on a certain someone. Bye!" Kakashi eye smiled, waved and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Haku then noticed that Hinata was looking at her oddly. "What?" She asked.

"So you and Sasuke huh?" Nartuo said without looking up or opening his eyes, voicing Hinata's thought and making Haku blush. "Did I get it right?" Naruto asked sitting upright and looking around. He smiled and nodded his head when he saw Hinata nod while closing her eyes with a smile and saw Haku's blush. "I'm just that good." Naruto said leaning back down on Hinata's lap. Haku pouted.

"Are you going or not?" Haku asked as she avoided eye contact from anyone. Naruto smiled as he did a rising handspring to stand and stretch his limbs. Then, being the gentleman he is, he held out his hand to help Hinata, who was sitting on her legs, stand. She giggled as she grabbed his hands and stood. "Well, I'm going to go find Shino-kun then, bye." Haku waved to them as she walked back from where she came from and vanished within a group of trees.

"Think there's something going on there?" Hinata asked. Naruto shook his head but then looked into space and shrugged.

"Maybe, I mean from what I heard, those two have been hanging around each other more often." Naruto answered.

"And where did you hear that from?" Hinata asked.

"Well, I went looking for Shikamaru to ask him something but instead ran into Ino and she started talking about… well something, I'm not sure, I blanked out at that point but before I did, I heard her say something about Haku and Shino hanging out together." Naruto closed his eyes and with a sigh, shook his head. "I wonder if she ever trains instead of gossiping." Naruto commented. Hinata playfully slapped his left arm before grabbing his left hand with her right hand and intertwining them.

"Of course she does, she just likes gossiping more." Hinata added. Naruto chuckled as Hinata rested her head on his shoulder. As they entered the civilized area of Konoha, Naruto and Hinata were subjected to glares of hatred, annoyance, jealousy and animosity.

Majority of the animosity was held towards Naruto and he would occasionally glare back. The small amounts of glares directed to Hinata were from Naruto's fan girls, jealousy and annoyance being most of it. The rest were given to Naruto from veteran shinobi, the older generation or from a small amount of fan boys that had formed since the Chunnin Exams. Naruto's glare hardened whenever he spotted them.

It was barely noticeable to anyone else but Naruto had noticed that a small amount of boys around his age started to take notice of the shy Hyuga princess. Ever since Naruto was able to convince her to drop the thick jacket, it's been hell for him ever since. Not only did some of the others his age hate him for the influence they got from their parents, but now their hatred only increased from the jealousy and envy they felt towards him.

However, even under those circumstances, Naruto could only smile as he realized that he was the first one to discover the beautiful diamond in the rough. His hold on Hinata's hand tightened as he closed his eyes in content. Even with her light lavender sweater with the Hyuga symbol on the left shoulder, navy blue capris and blue ninja shoes, Hinata was the most beautiful girl Naruto had ever seen.

Hinata smiled as she continued walking towards the Hokage Tower. She looked at Naruto and studied the clothing he wore. He wore a black sleeveless jacket with two thick orange stripes on the side and it flowed as another cold wind passed through, just like the long sleeve orange shirt under it. His black hakama pants that also had two thick orange stripes on the side, not unlike his jacket. The softness of the fingerless glove he wore brushed against Hinata's skin and his black ninja shoes fell in step with her. She looked up and frowned a little, hating the fact that he hid his handsome face behind a black mask with an orange line going across his nose horizontally.

Hinata shrugged it off though when she felt more glaring eyes being placed on her. She smiled smugly as she looked back and saw many girls crowded together looking at Naruto with admiration and then at her with envy. She stuck her tongue out playfully before letting go of Naruto's hand and hugging him tightly.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked down at her. He chuckled when he saw her glaring back at the fan girls that followed behind them. Deciding that she shouldn't be the only one to mess with their fans, Naruto placed his right thumb and index finger on Hinata's chin and made her look at him. He stopped and turned towards her and softly passed his thumb over her left cheek while they looked at each other in the eyes. Both were mesmerized by the sheer intensity of the other's stare and Hinata blushed before Naruto began kissing her lovingly on the lips.

Both smiled as they felt the air thicken and the killing intent rise around the area. Naruto wrapped his arms around the small of her back while she wrapped her arms around the base of his neck. The killing intent was so high that all civilians ran inside a building and hid, too afraid to even look up. Now, the only ones outside were the fan girls and boys and Naruto and Hinata.

Wanting to make her fan boys angrier, Naruto made a bold move and groped Hinata's butt cheek with his right hand. It was a quick one but was slow enough for all who were watching to see. Hinata had 'eep'ed but Naruto was glad she didn't do anything else. His instincts then kicked in and Naruto, along with Hinata, body flickered away before a hail of kunai and shuriken bombarded the area they were in not too long ago.

After appearing on the roof of the Hokage Tower, Naruto sighed in relief along with Hinata who almost had a heart attack. She looked up at Naruto and slapped his face and blushed. Naruto held his right cheek in pain as he looked at Hinata with a puzzled expression.

"Don't ever grope me like that…" Hinata said before trailing off, saying something to low for Naruto to hear.

"What?" He asked as he placed his left hand behind his left ear to let him hear better. Hinata's blushed deepened as she blinked multiple times before settling her sights on her feet.

"Don't ever grope me like that… in public." She said and Naruto smiled and kissed her hastily on her cheek. He smiled as he dropped his right from its place on his cheek.

"Deal." Naruto said with a lecherous smile.

"I'm sorry." She apologized after seeing the redness of his cheek but Naruto still smiled.

"It's ok, besides I heard kissing an injury helped heal it." Naruto said before Hinata brought his face down and kissed the cheek she slapped. His smile widened as he placed his right hand behind his head and rubbed it. "See, I already feel better. Come on, I'm sure baa-chan is probably getting impatient by now." Naruto said and Hinata giggled.

-----

Tsunade impatiently tapped her fingers on her desk. If what she asked for didn't come through her door in the next minute, she knew she would go ballistic. With a faint knock, the door opened and Tsunade stood from her seat.

"It's about-oh, it's just you two." Tsunade said as Naruto and Hinata walked into her office. She sighed as Naruto and Hinata walked up to her desk.

"Well sorry to disappoint you baa-chan but-" Naruto brought Hinata and himself down as Tsunade threw a thick book his way. "Hey! Careful now! Hinata'-chan's with me, baa-" He ducked again but this time, narrowly escaped a newly sharpen kunai that was aimed for his forehead. Nodding towards Hinata, both jumped back, eager to put some distance between them and an angered Tsunade.

"H-Hokage-sama, please calm down. Naruto-kun, apologize to Tsunade-sama." Hinata pleaded hesitantly. Tsunade eyed her suspiciously but smiled when she scolded Naruto. Naruto looked hard-pressed not to apologize but thanks to a glare from Hinata, Naruto hung his head in defeat.

"Sorry b… Hokage-sama." Naruto apologized, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Tsunade laughed and sat back in her chair.

"It's ok brat!" She bellowed but Naruto glared at her and then look at Hinata.

"Tsunade-sama, don't you think that was a little rude. Naruto-kun did apologize after all." Hinata said, which stopped Tsunade's laughter as she stared Hinata down.

"Oh, are you saying I should apologize to the brat?" Tsunade said, intensifying her stare but Hinata didn't back down. She might have wavered a bit but didn't back down.

"Beg for forgiveness actually." Naruto lowly added. Hinata lightly hit him in the stomach.

"I'll handle this." Hinata said to him. "I think it would be the right thing to do." Hinata said. Tsunade continued looking at Hinata before smiling and sitting back against her chair.

"I like you Hinata. Alright then, I accept your apology Naruto and am sorry for calling you 'brat'." Naruto pouted but nodded his head. "You have some girl there brat, you better not lose her." Tsunade added. Naruto was about to say something but decided against it, not wanting to go into another argument. After what he just been through, he had an epiphany.

No man would ever win in an argument with woman, EVER! Only a woman can defeat another woman in an argument.

Remembering this and engraving it into his heart and mind, Naruto sighed as he sat down on the empty chair near him. Hinata sat down on the chair adjacent to him and both waited for Tsunade to speak.

"So, I'm guessing your both wondering why you're here. Well, I'll tell you, I want you two and your other teammate to go on a mission for me." Tsunade said as she hid her smile behind her intertwined hands.

"You three, along Shikamaru, will go to Suna and give their temporary Kazekage a scroll that I already gave to Shikamaru. You'll wait for them to write a reply and return with the reply. This mission should last for at least a week and a half. Any longer and I'm send another team after you three, got that?" After seeing both nod their heads, Tsunade continued.

"Go pack accordingly and meet up your chunnin leader in an hour. You're dismissed." Naruto and Hinata nodded again as they left and went to look for their fourth and final member to the mission.

[*.*.Three Days Later.*.*]

Shikamaru groaned as he walked past the desolate dessert with Team 7. As his first mission as a chunin, Shikamaru was given a C-rank mission. He had to travel to Suna, give their next-in-charge the new alliance sroll, and return with their answer.

Naruto was currently giving a piggy-back ride to a tired Hinata who was asleep at the moment. They had been going at it for a while without stopping and Shikamaru was starting to tire from it as well. Naruto however was not saying a word. In fact, he actually looked to be deep in thought.

Sasuke, however, had Shikamaru doubting his need to be on the mission. He would pick fights with Naruto or aggravate the lazy chunnin. With a sigh, Shikamaru fell into step with his teammates. As much as he hated to admit it, he did want to stop by Suna and pay a certain Suna kunoichi a visit.

After the invasion failed, Gaara and his siblings stayed in Konoha's hospital to recover from their wounds. Oddly enough, it was Shikamaru who paid Temari a visit as she recovered. After a short game of who would blink first, Shikamaru gave in and asked if she wanted to play a quick game of shogi. She had denied at first but given her circumstances and lack of ability to do much else, she agreed.

Shikamaru was surprised, to say the least when she had managed to corner his king but recovered and ended up winning but if only by luck. Smirking at the memory of many failed yet close attempts to win courtesy of Temari, Shikamaru was eager to visit the young blond and go at it once more.

Unfortunately, Team 7 and Shikamaru were oblivious to the cloaked figure that followed not too far behind. Because the cloak's color was eerily similar to the sand, he was very hard to spot. Under the hood of his cloak, the figure smirked as he and Team 7 neared Suna. After finally seeing his targets leave the sanctuary of their home, the figure followed quietly and eagerly.

Stray travelers and peddlers weren't enough anymore, the figure needed to target more interesting victims. After an exhausting three days worth of travelling, the figure smirked as Suna's Northern gates came in sight.

Oh, how much fun he knew this was going to be. Seeing a blond haired girl and a red haired boy standing outside the gates, the figure knew his mission would get ever more interesting, seeing as his master's third target was within sight, the figure could only resist the urge to laugh. He and his partner would get rewarded very handsomely very soon.

**

* * *

I don't know what to add except to review and have fun on Turkeyday! Which is tomorrow so yeah… Oh hahaha how whipped is Naruto?! hahahah Damn....**

**Next Chapter: Into the heart of Suna, place of sand, wind and matchmaking?**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	29. Into the heart of Suna

**Chapter 29, finally up and ready to be read... Now, first thing I want to mention is that I did not completely proof read through this, mostly because I wanted to post it as soon as I could... I kept everyone waiting for too long and I didn't want to keep you from this story any longer than needed...**

**I'm really sleepy so I'll make this AN short and say that I appreciate everyone's support for this and my other stories... **

**On with the show!_ [you know what I mean]_**

**Chapter 29: Into the heart of Suna, place of sand, wind and matchmaking?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything like that, just this story and the plot...**

* * *

Naruto felt relief wash over him when he spotted Gaara and his sister, Temari, waiting for them right outside the gates of Suna. After walking and running over to Suna for three days, even Naruto just wanted to jump on a bed and sleep until he needed to wake up. Running up to the two sand siblings while keeping Hinata well balanced on his back, Naruto stopped just short in front of Gaara and Temari with his usual happy-go-lucky smile.

"Man, you have… no idea... how glad I… am to see you… two." Naruto said, panting in between while speaking. Temari cocked an eyebrow and was about to reply but Gaara had something to say first.

"Welcome Naruto Uzumaki. I see you and your team have made it to Suna safely." Gaara said and Naruto nodded his head. A minute later, Shikamaru and Sasuke walked up behind Naruto except for Shikamaru who unnoticeably inched closer to Temari.

"Well, let's go inside and deliver this scroll to your temporary Kazekage." Shikamaru said as he walked towards the inside of Suna. Naruto, Sasuke and the sand siblings followed after as they fell in step behind the lazy chunin. With a quiet whisper, Naruto grabbed Gaara's attention.

"So what's up Gaara?" Naruto asked. Gaara looked up into the sky and pointed to a single cloud in the sky.

"That one cloud and the sun… also I think that is a bird." Gaara answered, making Naruto sweat dropped.

"You know, if I didn't know you didn't have a sense of humor, I would've thought you were messing with me." Naruto told him. "What I meant to say is how've you been since we last met?" Naruto asked. Gaara looked at him oddly before shaking his head.

"I've been… alright I suppose." He answered. Naruto tilted his head in confusion as Gaara refused to look at anywhere but the sky. He wondered if he was thinking or just trying to figure out what really was up above them.

"You suppose? How so?" Naruto asked. Gaara looked at Naruto and then at Hinata who slurred something about Naruto. With a sigh, Gaara looked at his feet.

"I've been having an odd feeling whenever I am out. It's a faint feeling and I suppose that it's nothing but it is almost as if I am being watched and followed." Gaara told Naruto, not such much with worry as opposed to curiosity and self doubt. "I, at times, think am imagining things and leave it alone, categorizing it as the Shukaku messing with my mind again. However, the presence that follows these feelings of vigilance is anything but negative. It… well, harbors these feelings unknown to me." Gaara continued.

"Oh? Does it bother you?" Naruto asked. Gaara closed his eyes and shook his head.

"It's actually quite comforting, knowing someone out there doesn't see me as the Demon Hidden in the Sand." Naruto smiled as he thought about the name.

"That sounds cool. Demon of the Hidden Sand." Naruto said more to himself but stopped when he saw Gaara looking at him strangely. "Sorry. Anyways, why don't you try and find this 'presence'?" Naruto asked.

"I've tried but this person is very allusive." Gaara replied.

"She's behind the lamp post behind us." Hinata mumbled and both Naruto and Gaara stopped walking to turn and see a girl with short brown hair and black eyes watching them from behind the lamp post Hinata mentioned. She panicked and with a blush hid complete behind the lamp post. Naruto and Gaara were speechless, wondering how Hinata knew the girl was there.

"How did-"

"Of course, Hinata-chan has the Byakugan so she was able to see her hide behind the lamp post." Hinata blushed and uncomfortably fidgeted in her place on Naruto's back.

"Y-Yeah, that h-how I know." Hinata stuttered, hoping that they'd never know the real reason about how she knew. Naruto wondered why she stuttered but decided to question her about it later.

"Hey, you over there, behind the lamp post!" Naruto yelled as Temari, Sasuke and Shikamaru stopped walking. They looked at him like he was crazy for yelling at no one but then sweat dropped when a meek looking girl looked at him as if he tried to kill her. Knowing that it would probably be a good idea to split up, Temari, Shikamaru and Sasuke kept walking to the Kazekage's tower to deliver the scroll..

The girl pointed a shy finger to herself and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah you, come here!" Naruto yelled, moving his hand in a way to tell her to come over.

After slowly making her way towards, she stood in front of Naruto while occasionally sparing a glance at Gaara. Naruto noticed this but decided to do some research before assuming anything.

"Y-Yes?" The girl stuttered, messing with her short brown hair. Gaara scrunched his face up, thinking about how he knew the girl's face before. The girl caught him staring and blushed. Hinata's smile matched the one on Naruto's face as they saw her continue to turn into two different shades of red.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki and this pretty girl on my back is Hinata Hyuga." Hinata blushed but bowed her head a little after she saw the brown haired girl do it. "And this is…"

"Sabaku no Gaara." The girl answered, earning a questioningly gaze from Gaara. "I-I'm sorry but I still r-remember you from the a-academy." Then Gaara remembered where he had seen the girl before; she had been the girl who had asked if she could sit with him during lunch.

"I remember now, you were that girl who asked to sit by me one day during lunch." Gaara said earning a nod from the brown haired girl. "You're name… I'm sorry; I don't remember your name." Gaara added, saddening the girl a little, though she didn't expect him to know it; she did tend to blend in with the background.

"M-My name is Matsuri." She told him and his lips sort of twitched up words. It was hard to tell but not completely unnoticeable.

"Matsuri… that's a nice name." Gaara said, making Matsuri blush and Naruto and Hinata to smile widely. Now their mission had gotten so much interesting.

"Hey Gaara, why don't the four of us go somewhere to eat, I'm starving!" Naruto said with a smile.

"Yes, I'm also hungry and you and Matsuri-san are the only ones we know that know Suna very well." Hinata added with a smile of her own. Matsuri's blush darkened as she inwardly cheered. She looked up and saw Gaara had a sort of angered expression. She looked back down heartbroken and stopped the tears from escaping her eyes.

'_He doesn't like me.'_ Matsuri thought as she started to come up with an excuse to leave.

"A-Actually, I-I have to g-go… do something." Matsuri didn't wait for them to say anything as she ran in the opposite direction. Naruto and Hinata watched her leave and could've sworn they saw tears swing off her face. They looked at Gaara who seemed to have a scowl permanently plastered on his face. Wondering what got the jinchuuriki so angered; Naruto waved a hand in front of his face.

"Gaara… yoo-hoo…" Blinking, Gaara looked up at Naruto with confusion. "Gaara, are you ok?" Gaara cocked an invisible eyebrow and tilted his head to the left.

"Yeah, why?"

"You looked kind of angry." Hinata answered.

"That's because I was talking to… you know who." Gaara implied, confusing Hinata and earning a nod from Naruto.

"What'd the raccoon dog say?" Naruto asked, confusing Hinata even more. Gaara blushed and looked at the right side of the sidewalk. He then mumbled something incoherent. "What?"

"He said that… that I liked the girl, Matsuri." Gaara said with a darker blush. Naruto and Hinata looked at him, expressionless. Naruto was the first to shake out of his stupor.

"D-Do you?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know." Gaara answered. Before anymore questions were asked, Gaara started walking in a random direction. "Come on; let me show you where I usually go to eat." Naruto looked at Hinata and she understood the unspoken agreement…

Their secondary mission was to help Gaara understand the confusing emotion that was love.

[*.*.*.*]

With Shikamaru, he was currently walking behind Temari would seemed to be aloof to the rest of the world while simultaneously leading them to the Kazekage's tower. Sasuke was behind him, also aloof but Shikamaru didn't really care, like how he was in the academy, he still found the last Uchiha troublesome and annoying. Everywhere he looked, girls were looking at Sasuke fondly and with infatuation that it almost made him sick.

With an over exasperated sigh, Shikamaru lazily placed his hand in his pockets and closed his eyes. Temari heard him sigh and looked back at him. She had never met anyone as lazy as him though she couldn't say he wasn't interesting. Because of her strength and heritage, most boys her age were intimidated by her. Shikamaru however, was far from intimidated, if anything, he went out of his way just to annoy her in any way he could.

Normally, this would drive Temari to slam him down to size with her large and heavy black fan but with him, she only felt like slapping the back of his head. With a faint smile, Temari noticed that they had reached the Kazekage's tower. Opening the door, Temari let Sasuke and Shikamaru in without a word and followed after, closing the door behind her.

Entering the waiting room on the first floor, Temari informed them of the hotel and room number they would be staying at until they had to leave. As the three made their way towards the stairs, Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the similarities between the Hokage's tower and the Kazekage's tower.

For one thing, the entire was very much alike in terms of structure and size. However, there were some key differences as well. The Kazekage's tower has a beige like color to it while the Hokage's tower was more red in color. Also, this tower didn't smell like freshly lit tobacco. No, it actually smelt like a place of business should; of freshly dried ink and printed paper.

"We're here." Temari stated, snapping Shikamaru of his muse and blinking repeatedly. He hadn't realized that they made it to the top so quickly and mentally scolded himself for being so aloof. It did no good to the team and mission if the leader was off in his own little world. Opening the door, Temari stepped to the side to allow Shikamaru and Sasuke to enter. Shikamaru resisted the urge to face drop at that very moment.

In front of him sat the man he assumed was the intern Kazekage, however, it was not what he expected. Shikamaru expected to see a middle-aged man with some stray grey hair appearing in his hair and at least some facial hair. A man with a wise, prestigious air about him yet a stoic expression on his face. A man with so much experience, he seemed capable of doing all his work with his eyes closed. The man in front of him didn't not fit this expectation, not even to a small degree.

Temari chuckled sheepishly as she hurriedly made her way towards the Kazekage's desk. With a graceful yet forceful slam, Temari awoke the man who was blissfully sleeping on the Kazekage's desk. The man just as quickly sat up and snorted, wiping away the drool from his mouth with his forearm and mumbling incoherent words.

"Huh?! Wha-oh…" The man said as he soon gathered his bearings. The purple war paint on his face was smeared and only worsened when he wiped away the drool with his forearm. He also looked a bit too young to be the Kazekage in Shikamaru's opinion.

"So… this is you're temporary kage. Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed." Shikamaru commented.

"What? No, hell no! Kankuro, what the hell are you doing here?" Temari said/asked. Kankuro rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes as he stood and stretched.

"The old bats wanted me to deliver some documents for the intern Kazekage to sign. But as you can see he's not here so I decided to wait for him." Yawning, Kankuro covered his mouth with his left hand. "It's a shame you woke me up, I had such a nice nap." He stated, earning him a hard kick to his back, sending him forward and crashing his head against the wall, effectively knocking him out.

"Is… is he going to be ok?" Shikamaru asked with a sweat drop.

"Who cares, let's just go already." Sasuke said with a biting tone. Shikamaru turned his body towards Sasuke and glared at him.

"You know what Uchiha, I'm starting to get tired of your stuck up attitude. The entire trip here you've been nothing but a pain in the neck. You complain nonstop about wasting your time with such a trivial mission when you could be training that you're starting to sound like a broken record." Shikamaru said with his usual lazy attitude but enlaced underneath was annoyance and anger.

"What are you going to do about it Nara?" Sasuke challenged and soon got his answer. Grabbing his collar with a closed fist, Shikamaru slammed Sasuke against the frame of the door behind him.

"Listen and listen well Uchiha, the village may put you on this pedestal for being the only living Uchiha still loyal to Konoha but I see pass that. I see a spoiled brat who cries and complains when he doesn't get his way. Now this mission I'm leading is very important to Konoha since it deals with the already fragile alliance between Suna and Konoha. So as the leader, I expect you to show me the proper respect while on this mission. I don't give a damn if you hate me now or after the mission but until then, I suggest you shut your mouth and be a good genin or I'll make sure Lady Tsunade has you doing D-ranked mission for a month. Do we have an understanding?" Shikamaru asked in a no nonsense voice.

Sasuke snarled as he freed himself from Shikamaru's grasp. He scoffed at Shikamaru before heading down stairs to get the key to the hotel room from the secretary. Shikamaru sighed as he watched the last Uchiha leave and turned his attention back to Temari.

"Sorry about that, he was really starting to annoy me." Shikamaru said with an exasperated sigh.

"It's ok, just toss the scroll to me and I'll wait here for the intern Kazekage." Temari said as she placed her left hand on her hip and holding her right hand out to catch the scroll. Shikamaru casually took out the scroll and threw it at Temari who caught it and placed it on top of the desk next to her. Shikamaru closed the door behind him and walked over to an empty chair in front of the Kazekage's desk. Temari jumped on the desk and crossed her legs as she leaned forward.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Shikamaru asked. Temari smirked as she leaned back from her position on the desk.

"You know what I want to do." Temari answered while raising her left eyebrow up. Shikamaru smiled as closed his eyes.

"You ready?" He asked. Temari nodded her head and he took in a sharp breath. "Let's play then."

[*.*.*.*]

"What are we going to do about Gaara, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked as he and Hinata walked behind Gaara who seemed to be in his own little world as they continued to wander aimlessly around Suna. He had showed them many places like the hotel they were going to stay at and many popular diners and restaurants.

"I'm not sure Naruto-kun but we need to do something soon." Hinata added. Both looking into the sky and rubbing their chins in a thoughtful way, started to formulate a plan.

""I got it!"" They both said simultaneously. Hinata then looked at Naruto skeptically.

"Naruto-kun…"

"Hmm?"

"Kidnapping both of them, throwing them in a room and locking them there until they get together is not a plan, it's a felony." Hinata said with a sweat dropped.

"I… I can't believe you'd think I would come up with a plan like that." Naruto said, feigning a hurt look, only to drop it when seeing Hinata's look that said 'Prove me wrong'. "Alright Hinata-chan, what's your idea?" Naruto asked with his own sweat drop.

"Well, I, using my Byakugan, will go look for Matsuri while you keep Gaara busy by talking about Matsuri. When I find her, I'll bring her to you two and we'll help them get together." Hinata told him.

"But, how will you know where we'll… oh right, your Byakugan." Naruto said, earning a nod from Hinata. "Well, good luck Hinata-hime."

"Thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata gave Naruto a kiss goodbye on the cheek and jumped to the roof of the nearest building. Watching her go, Naruto couldn't help but admire at her butt from down below. Lately, he's been getting the urge to go to the next level with Hinata though he knew he wasn't ready. Well, maybe he was but he knew Hinata wasn't. Besides that, they were too young and getting Hinata pregnant was not something on Naruto's to-do list at the moment.

As he walked into step behind Gaara, Naruto wondered why he's been feeling such urges lately and it wasn't until a voice popped into his head did he stop imagining Hinata in suggestive poses?

'_**I knew this day would come, I just didn't think it would come so soon.'**_ Kyuubi commented attentively, confusing Naruto.

'_Kyuubi? Where have you been and what do you mean by that?'_ Naruto asked his tenant.

'_**I've been… remodeling in here. As for what I mean, well… because of my influence, your primal and animal instincts have intensified greatly. Because of your father's seal, we've been slowly infusing together, in every sense of the way. It started out with all your senses but now, we've reached the stage where you desire for a mate has increased drastically, if you get what I mean.'**_ Kyuubi answered with a suggestive tone near the end. Naruto's eye widened in shock and understanding.

'_Y-You mean… I-I'm in h-heat?!'_ Naruto asked in fear, almost not even wanting to know the answer.

'_**You idiot! Only females go through heat!'**_ Kyuubi roared in Naruto's mind, making Naruto wince. _**'As a male, you'll always feel like this; the need and want to mate with your mate. However, I think my influence on your mind and the seal may have sped up these desires. I'm sure you don't mind though… right?'**_ Kyuubi teased, making Naruto blush and mumble something under his breath.

"What was that?" Gaara said, snapping Naruto out of his inner conversation with Kyuubi.

"N-Nothing." Naruto replied nervously, thinking over Kyuubi's last words. He then remembered what Hinata wanted him to do so he put a friendly arm over Gaara's shoulders and pulled him close. "So Gaara, what about Matsuri, huh? She's pretty don'tcha think?" Naruto asked with a smile that kind of freaked Gaara out.

"I… I suppose she's attractive."

"You suppose?! Come on Gaara, it has to be more than that." Naruto persisted.

"What are you suggesting? That I am in love with the girl?" Gaara asked with suspicion. Naruto got off Gaara and waved his arms in front of him defensively.

"N-No, no, no… I'm just saying that Matsuri seems to have a thing for you." Naruto answered, trying to remove Gaara's suspicion.

"I highly doubt that." Gaara shot back bluntly. Naruto looked at him quizzically which caused Gaara to sigh. "You saw the way she looked at me with fear. She was so frightened by me she could hardly speak properly without stumbling on her words. She sees me as what I truly am; a monster, a demon. She has no romantic interest in me and even though she has never caused me harm, that doesn't mean she likes me." Gaara elaborated. Naruto looked at him with sadness and understanding. It was no wonder he didn't understand even a small proportion of love; he never received any.

"Gaara… you don't really expect me to believe that you think you're…" Naruto trailed off and Gaara nodded.

"That's right; a demon. I have become one with Shukaku and will never be loved." Gaara, though Naruto knew he was depressed, said it with such conformity and lack of emotion that it made Naruto sick. He knew the feeling, he knew what he was going through, but he never once thought so lowly of himself that he'd never receive love of any kind from anyone.

"That's insane Gaara! You're not Shukaku and you're not a monster. You're Sabaku no Gaara; the _container_ of the one tailed Shukaku, not the demon itself." Naruto said trying to reassure his friend though he wouldn't listen. Gaara just shook his head.

"No Naruto, it's too late for me. Something like me was never meant to be loved, just used as a weapon; to fight for my home with my life." Gaara said. "You are just like me Naruto, nothing but a weapon to be used until we have served our purpose. After that, we are tossed aside, like a tool. And as a tool, we have no room to love or to be loved." Naruto ignored the part where Gaara compared himself with Naruto, but he knew it would not leave his mind.

"So what?! You're going to turn yourself into a tool?" Naruto yelled, demanding an answer from Gaara.

"I am what I am; nothing in this world will change that." Was Gaara's simple answer.

"So what about Matsuri she-"

"She's afraid of me; that's all. Whatever impression you may have gotten from her is delusional. She does not like me, she's afraid of me!" Gaara said as loud as he's ever spoke. Something then clicked in Naruto's mind; something that made sense of Gaara's odd behavior.

"Is she really the one who's afraid Gaara… or is it just you?" Naruto asked seriously as he stared into Gaara's eyes. Gaara stared back as he refused to back down. Grunting, Gaara closed his eyes and turned his body away from Naruto.

"Tch." Was all he said before sand enveloped him and transported him to a distant place. Naruto sighed and went to look for Gaara. Hinata wasn't going to like this.

Meanwhile, Hinata was not fairing as well as Naruto as she stood in front of Matsuri, stopping her from walking away for the third time.

"Matsuri, why won't you come with me to join Gaara and Naruto-kun to lunch?" Hinata asked, starting to lose her patience with her. In retrospect, Hinata knew she acted like this when she silently crushed on Naruto but she wondered if she was really this annoying about it.

"I-I'm sorry… uhm…"

"Hinata." Hinata told her and Matsuri nodded.

"B-But Gaara won't w-want me there." Matsuri answered, with depression dripping in her words. "Now if y-you'll excuse me…" Using the knowledge gained through practice, Matsuri was able to disappear in a cluster of sand, momentarily blinding Hinata as she covered her eyes with her forearm. Looking around, Hinata sighed when she didn't see Matsuri around.

"Hinata-chan!" Hinata turned to her left to see Naruto panting as he landed next to her. "So how'd it… go?" Naruto asked as he took a few quick breaths to refill his lungs.

"Naruto-kun? How'd you find me?" Hinata asked, a bit surprised that Naruto was able to find her in such a large village like Suna.

"Well it's because I… t-that's not the point, so where's Matsuri?" Naruto asked with a blush as his earlier discussion with Kyuubi came into his mind.

"She went off before I was able to convince her to come." Looking around Naruto, Hinata gave him a questioning look. "Where's Gaara?" She asked.

"He went off after we talked about Matsuri." Naruto looked down with a frown and a thoughtful expression, catching Hinata's interest.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she walked up to him and hugged him. She didn't like seeing him so sad and if she could do anything about it, she'd make sure his depression always faded.

"He truly believes that he is the demon sealed inside him. And I can only wonder… how I'd be like if I never found the comfort of a loved one." Naruto told her, making her rest her head on his chest as he put his head on top of her head. "I mean, we have so much in common; being the outcasts of our village and classes, being human sacrifices, and having kage fathers who were the reason we became human sacrifices." Naruto paused as he took in a sharp breath.

"And maybe… maybe he's right." Hinata looked up at him in shock. "Maybe I am like him; not meant to love or be loved."

"Naruto-kun, how can you say something so ridiculous?! Of course you were meant to be loved, you're human." Hinata said with conviction.

"Hinata-hime, because of me you have been in harm's way so many times. You've been rained on by senbons by Haku because I let my guard down, you've almost been raped by MY clone and almost died three times. THREE TIMES HINATA!" Naruto bellowed in pain and anger at himself. "I was not meant to be loved because all those who do only end up getting badly hurt or even worse, killed."

Hinata could only look at him in shock. She wasn't sure where he was getting such deluded fact but she was sure to put a stop to it. Making sure his eyes looked into hers, Hinata prepared to give him a pep talk.

"Stop it Naruto-kun, you know that's not true! I might have almost died on the bridge but it was you who made sure I was taken to safety. Your clone may have almost raped me but it was not only Gaara but _you_ too who stopped him. I might've almost died twice by your clone's hands but it was _you_ saved me on both accounts." Hinata told him but he only shook his head.

"But I was the reason they happened in the first place." Naruto retorted.

"Then how do you explain you saving me from Kumo's second attempt to kidnap me? Did you cause it Naruto-kun?" Naruto tried looked away from her eyes but she clamped both her hands onto his cheeks, forcing him to keep eye contact. "You see, you don't have to be the cause of the problem to save me."

"Of course not but I'll still save you anyways." Naruto countered though Hinata only smiled warmly.

"And why is that Naruto-kun?" Naruto cursed himself as he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Because I… I love you." He answered and Hinata nodded.

"And I love you too Naruto-kun, which is why I'll never let you go or let you say bad things about yourself. And just like you're there for me, I'll always be there for you." Hinata said as she dropped her weary head onto his chest again as her hands fell down his face and onto his chest as well. Naruto wrapped her into a closer hug and chuckled.

"Ok, you win, but I still don't think that it's safe for you to be around me…"

"I don't care Naruto-kun. Like I said before, I love you and I refuse to let you go. Now let's go to a hotel and get some sleep." Naruto nodded as he picked Hinata up bridal style and felt her cuddle up to him. He smiled fondly as he jumped to the direction of the hotel Gaara had showed them earlier.

[*.*.*.*]

From the top of the wall that protected Suna from outside invaders, Gaara watched the sun set as the day was soon coming to an end. He sat with his right knee up and left leg out, his right arm leaning on his right knee and his left arm holding his upper body up. His teal eye stared off into space as his mind wandered around its memories.

He knew he was right; no monster or demon could ever love or be loved. They were simply too reckless and bloodthirsty to be calmed down by the siren's song called love. He knew he was a monster, a demon that would never learn how to love. But was what Naruto told him earlier true? That maybe Matsuri did have a romantic interest in him?

With a hefty sigh, Gaara continued to stare off into nothing. It didn't matter anyways, it's not like he could go up to Matsuri and ask her if she…

"G-Gaara?" Gaara turned at the sound of his name and was surprised to see Matsuri.

"Matsuri, what are you doing here?" Gaara asked as he shifted his weight around so he could comfortably look at her while sitting.

"I-I usually come here around this time. I-It's where I usually come w-when I have to t-think." She answered nervously.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know. I guess I'll-"

"No, its ok, I'll go." Matsuri said quickly, interrupting Gaara.

"Why don't we both stay, I see no harm in it." Gaara suggested, oblivious to Matsuri's blush.

"S-S-Sure." She slowly made her way to the edge of the wall and sat down a few feet away from Gaara. Gaara was saddened by the distance Matsuri put between them. "So Gaara-kun… I-I mean i-if y-you don't mind m-me c-calling you t-that." Matsuri stammered but Gaara only shook his head.

"Not at all, if anything, it makes me feel… assured." Matsuri tilted her head while she looked at him.

"Assured? W-What are you a-assured of?" She asked. Gaara tore his gaze from the setting sun to look at Matsuri.

"That you're not afraid of me." Gaara answered.

"I-I'm not afraid of y-you Gaara-kun." Matsuri stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "I-If anything… I a-admire you." Gaara gave her a look of pure confusion and curiosity as she blushed at his stare.

"You… you do?" He finally asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, I do." She answered with such conviction that her stutter was nowhere to be found. She then brought her attention to the sun set and sighed contently. "It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked to no one in particular.

"Yes… it is." Gaara answered as his eyes never left Matsuri.

**

* * *

So did you like the fluff here? Now don't get me wrong, the next chapter is not going to include them running into trouble... well, not the bad kind, more like the teenage-love kind of trouble... Also, I'm turning up the fluff in the next chapter and might even add a lemon... For who, I'm still unsure... Maybe for Shika and Temari, Gaara and Matsuri or Naruto and Hinata... Maybe even all three, but not all at once, not a six-some...**

**Uhm, not much I can think to mention so I guess its goodbye for now...**

**Next Chapter: The women we've come to know and love...**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	30. Christmas Omake!

**Here's the Christmas Omake for Naruto of the Immortal Clan! One thing before I mention something about the Omake... I've gotten a few review talking about Naruto's double personality... Well honestly, this is how I see him in the anime... He's silly, goofy, stupid and happy go lucky one moment but when the situation calls for it, he's serious and doesn't take bull from anyone... Anyways, I'm done with that...**

**One major thing you should know about this Omake... This is an AU thing... Also if you don't enjoy fluff then I wouldn't read this... It's not a major fluff compared to the Christmas Omake I made for Trials of the Hanyo Brothersbut eh... Also, this is kind of pointless, just me wanting to celebrate Christmas [which is tomorrow!] and has no effect on the story so you can skip this and you'll still understand the rest of the story... ****Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

Under the protection of his mask, the silver haired jonin eye smiled as he watched his team cover their mouths with their arms to perfect them from the coldness of Kiri's winter. What were they doing in Kiri during this time? Simple; they were doing a mission.

Hinata shivered as not even the thickness of her beige jacket could entirely warm her up. Sasuke, while wearing longer white pants, only shrugged away the cold, acting like it was just another day without the snow. Naruto, not surprisingly, was walking around normally, not a single shiver or cold breath was seen coming from him. Hinata was staring at him as he kept one arm over her shoulder. Snapped from his merriment from the feeling of being watched, Naruto looked around until his eyes connected with Hinata's.

"Hmm?" Hinata didn't answer; she was too busy glaring at Naruto. "What is it Hinata-chan?" He asked.

"W-What are you s-s-so happy a-about? I-I-It's freezing!" She said loudly and Naruto laughed. He moved in back of Hinata and wrapped his arms around her as best he could as Hinata suddenly felt his warmth envelope her entire being. She relaxed under his hold and leaned back on his chest while their pace made them walk behind Kakashi and Sasuke. "You're so warm Naruto-kun." Hinata stated in a dazed expression.

"You can thank Kyuubi for that. His chakra is a great heater for my body." Naruto said lowly enough so only Hinata could hear him.

_**'So now my chakra is not only good for times of need but times of winter?! Is that it brat?!'**_Kyuubi yelled in Naruto's mind. Hinata tilted her head up and kissed Naruto's cheek. and giggled when he chuckled.

"Well, tell him I said thank you." She said.

_**'That sort of makes me feel better...'**_Kyuubi said and Naruto mentally laughed. As team 7 continued down the path leading to the Mizukage Tower, they noticed that some of the villagers were looking angrily at them. Naruto, who was used to such stares, only shrugged them off but his hold on Hinata locked in and tightened. Hinata looked at them back but other than that, refreained from doing anything else. It wouldn't do to antagonize themselves in another village. Sasuke however did not appreciate the glares and he glared back, activating his Sharingan to those who didn't look away. Kakashi was just oblivious as his nose was buried in his orange perverted book.

When they made it to the Mizukage Tower, they waited out his office for him to conclude the meeting he was in. Naruto played with Hinata's hands as she hummed a tune that was enough to soothe Naruto. She rested on his lap with him sitting on a chair and Kakashi and Sasuke were sitting on their own chairs outside the Mizukage's office. Even then, Naruto was starting to get impatient. They had been waiting for five minutes now and they were still waiting! What kind of thing is that?!

"Ah! That's it! I'm tired of waiting!" Naruto stood up but not before putting Hinata on his seat and walking away.

"Naruto!" Naruto stopped walking and turned to his sensei. "I know how impatient you get while waiting but you have to stay here. We're not done…"

"I don't care; I'm tired of doing nothing and need to get some air." He turned but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"I am your sensei Naruto and you will obey my orders." Kakashi said sternly. "Now go sit down." Naruto snarled at him as he brushed away Kakashi's hand.

"You can't stop me sensei-" Naruto stopped cold when Kakashi disappeared and he felt something prick him in his back. Looking behind him, he saw Kakashi looking serious with a kunai in his right hand. Though, Kakashi was surprised when Naruto started to laugh. "You should've let me finish sensei… you can't stop me sensei since I'm not even here." Kakashi looked at him oddly before he was surprised by Naruto dispersing in a cloud of smoke.

"A shadow clone." Kakashi stated. Looking at Hinata, he saw that was getting nervous under his stare. "You knew didn't you?" He asked and she nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"He has his reasons and I'll respect them." She said defiantly. Kakashi sighed as he went back to his seat and sat down. Sometimes, he wondered what exactly he did to deserve this.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto walked joyously trekked through Kiri with a smile shining brightly at everyone he saw. Because he refused to walk around being glared at, Naruto decided to change his appearance a bit. Still keeping his mask, Naruto walked around with a thin, dark grey jacket, black sweat pants and a black winter hat on, covering his blond hair. Many others who saw him smile smiled back and some even waved. He received many giggles and blown kisses from blushing girls but Naruto only smiled, thinking nothing more about it. He didn't need another girl, he already had one and that was more than enough in his mind.

Walking into the more deserted part of Kiri, Naruto noticed that there were a few people hiding in the dark corners of alleys or the top of a few trees here and there. Normally, Naruto would've ignored this and just kept walking but the killing intent he felt radiating from those hidden caused him to stop. Looking around, Naruto grabbed one of his swords and swung it high into the air before catching it by its hilt with his left hand. This set off a chain reaction as Naruto swiftly took out his sword and put it over the back of his neck, deflecting a kunai that was headed towards his neck.

Turning in the direction from where the kunai came from, Naruto saw a small boy, no older than Konohamaru, panting heavily with his hand still extended. Naruto examined the boy in front of him with a calculating stare. He had ragged clothes and a dirty face framed by spiky brown hair; it appeared to Naruto that the boy was homeless. He remembered when he was like how the kid in front of him was; alone, didn't have enough money for food or clothes. The only difference was that Naruto had the Third Hokage to thank for giving him a home.

However, even if Naruto understood his pain, he couldn't let his guard drop; there was still one more hiding.

"Why'd you attack me?" Naruto asked as he gripped his sword with his left hand tightly. The boy scoffed as he grabbed another kunai, Naruto noticing that is was rusty, old and from the looks of it, dull.

"Just give me all your money and you won't get hurt." The boy said with a bit of fear enlaced in his threat. Naruto looked sadly at him but before he could make another move, he felt soft pair of hands bind around his stomach and back. Looking down, Naruto saw a little girl, much younger than the boy, with short tan hair holding him as tightly as she could. She had her eyes shut tight and had tears in her eyes. She, like the boy, had ragged clothes though she had more to keep her warm.

Sparing a glance up, Naruto saw the boy throw the kunai and fall to his knees after doing it, apparently he was exhausted. His eyes sprang open when he saw the direction the kunai was heading for was the little girl who managed to move to his left side. Grabbing her by her arm, Naruto moved aside and saved the girl from getting hit.

"You idiot! You almost hit this girl!" Naruto shouted, making the boy hurriedly stand and head for the girl who let go of Naruto.

"N-Natsume-chan, are you ok?" The boy asked and Natsume nodded.

"I-I'm ok aniki, I'm j-just cold." Natusme stammered while the boy held her close.

"I'm sorry for almost hitting you." The boy apologized but the Natusme smiled.

"I-Its ok." She answered happily. Suddenly, she and her brother felt warmth envelope them. They looked up and saw a jacket over them and Naruto who had a sleeveless white shirt looking at them with a sad smile. He then searched his pockets and threw something at them. The boy moved in front of his sister and grabbed the thing Naruto threw at them. Opening a small bag, the boy's eyes widened at the sight of money in it.

"Keep it, you two need it more than I do." Naruto started to walk away from he felt a small pebble hit his back. He looked back and saw the boy glaring at him.

"I don't need your charity!" He yelled but Naruto still smiled.

"Maybe not you… but she does." The boy grunted as he looked at his sister and saw her shivering and holding the jacket as if her life depended on it. "I suggest you spend that money wisely."

"Wait!" Naruto raised an eye brow as he saw the boy struggle to say something. "Why would you help us? We tried to rob you?" The boy asked but Naruto reached out and ruffled his brown hair.

"Because… everyone deserves a shot of happiness and hope... Merry Christmas." Naruto said as he walked away from the two kids. He only took two steps before he felt two pairs of arms wrap him in a hug.

"Thank you so much." The little girl said and the boy nodded. They let him go and Naruto heard a faint sound of something freezing. "Here!" The two kids said at the same time. Naruto looked at the thing in the little girl's hands and was awed by the beauty of it. In Natsume's hands was an ice sculpture shaped into a heart the size of a baseball. Naruto held the ice heart carefully and looked at it in awe as he read the words engraved in the ice. He looked up to thank the two kids but saw that they were nowhere to be found. The neighborhood he was in was silent and barren, even as snow continued to fall from the sky.

"Naruto-kun!" Naruto looked up and saw Hinata head towards him. "Naruto-kun, where've you been?" She asked restlessly with a haggard breath.

"What do you mean; I've only been out for an hour." He said as he hid the ice heart behind his back.

"It's been three hours Naruto-kun and we're leaving now." Hinata said, then she him hiding something behind his back. "What do you have there?" She asked as she tried to see whatever was behind his back. Naruto turned and smiled nervously at her.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." He said casually but Hinata only raised her eyebrow. "Come on, let's go home." When he saw that she wasn't going anywhere, Naruto sighed and showed Hinata the ice heart in his hands. She gasped as she took the heart into her hands and examined it closely.

"N-Naruto-kun, it's beautiful. Where did you get it from?" She asked through her shock.

"I helped these kids out and they gave it to me to compensate, I guess." He said with a nonchalant shrug.

"What are you going to do with it?" Hinata asked, looking into his cerulean eyes. Pulling down his mask, Naruto brought Hinata closer to him in a hug and let his forehead rest against hers.

"I want you to keep it." He said lovingly. Hinata gasped and was about to talk him out of it but he placed his lips softly on top of hers. After he broke the kiss he smiled softly at her. "After all, the words express how I feel about you." He said and Hinata smiled back and kissed him with everything she had. "Since tomorrow's Christmas, how about we spend the whole day together?" He asked and Hinata nodded. Walking hand in hand, Hinata went over the words engraved in the ice heart.

_Love is like sunshine. It brings a golden glow to its beholder's face and a warm feeling all over their body. It awakens souls and opens eyes. And when it's over, it leaves billions of small memories called stars. To remind the world, that it still exists._

**

* * *

Ok, I'd like to say again that this was a drabble of sorts so no I won't mention what kind of mission they did since it's not really important... Also, the kids... well, yeah, another Christmas cliche where they're wandering spirits until someone does something to help them and they pass on... Was it corny, pointless and short? Maybe but I don't care...**

**If some of you get mad because this didn't make sense, oh well, guess its my fault but I just wrote down something to celebrate the upcoming holiday... Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!  
_-P.S. Happy Holidays!_**


	31. The women we've come to know and love

**Ok, I'm done with it! Chapter 31!**

**Sorry for the long wait but here it is... Enjoy!**

**By the way, I'm starting to put quotes on my updates that have something to do with the story or chapter... so it's like a sneak peak of what is to come...**

**_*It is the passion that is in a kiss that gives to it its sweetness; it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it. *  
-_****Christian Nevell Bovee-**

**Chapter 30:The women we've come to know and love...**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

This was it, the move that could end it all.

Shikamaru's sweat rolled down his brow as his eyes scanned the entire board. Temari was smiling as she saw him struggling to make his move. She had him right where she wanted him, in front of her sweating and confused. Shikamaru was looking at his pieces until his eyes travelled to Temari. His eyes scanned her entire body until they reached her teal eyes.

Just what was she planning? Shikamaru racked his mind on that question as after every game; Temari had stripped down, taking off one article of clothing stating that it was a little hot. He didn't buy it, it was pretty warm but not to the point to strip down. Shikamaru then realized what she was doing; he was so stupid for not seeing it earlier.

She was trying to distract him.

Of course, that makes sense considering that ever since she removed her outer armor, he's been too distracted to think properly. He scoffed as he closed his eyes; he was still having a hard time thinking straight as his mind conjured up a mental image of Temari sitting seductively in front of him with her smile that made his heart pound.

'_Damn that smile…'_ Shikamaru thought as he moved his knight into the middle of the board. Temari wasted no time in retaliating as she moved her rook in front of his queen and behind his king. She smiled as he grunted angrily; it was like she could read his mind. She had him in the palm of her hand and this, to say the least, was troublesome.

"What's wrong, Shika-kun?" Temari asked in a seductive tone, making Shikamaru shiver. She got on her hands and knees and started to crawl over the board, careful not to mess up the game. She was right in front of Shikamaru and staring into his eyes with lust. Shikamaru leaned back as she was getting closer and closer to him. His sweat continued to roll down his brow until he looked like he was just out in the rain with no umbrella.

"Come on Shika-kun, you can tell me…" Temari was only an inch away from Shikamaru and was smiling. "I won't bite." She whispered as her hot breath touched his lips and he had to hold himself back; he shouldn't kiss her. He was on a mission and he couldn't be distracted by girls; to be more specific, this troublesome girl. Shikamaru cleared his throat as a blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Well… you're uh, kind of on the board so…" Shikamaru stopped short as Temari pushed the board off the Kazekage's desk and smirked. "I see." He said and Temari frowned.

"Is that all you can think about? The game?" She asked and Shikamaru blinked.

"Hmm?" Temari sighed and backed off him, much to his relief and disappointment. She sat at the edge of the Kazekage's desk and had a faraway look. Shikamaru watched her and after she made no other moves, he sat beside her.

"I don't understand it Shikamaru." She said and Shikamaru looked to his side.

"What?" He asked in a bored manner as he rubbed his neck. She looked at him and glared, making him flinch when he looked back down.

"I feel like smacking you around instead of beating you with my fan." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and was about to say something but Temari's hands stopped him. "If any boy had got on my nerves, they would've been in the hospital already, but you… I don't think I can do that to you, not without a better reason."

"Temari…"

"And… and… I feel comfortable around you Shikamaru, which is an odd thing for me." She said as she looked away from Shikamaru with a blush. "I just wan-" Temari looked up and was about to continue but Shikamaru's lips stopped hers from moving. Her eyes were wide and her body stiff. When Shikamaru broke the kiss, he saw Temari's shocked and breathless expression and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You need to know how to shut up, you know that?" Shikamaru stated as he kept his eye connected with hers. She blushed before settling on a glare. "Troublesome, what now?" He said as he was pushed off her and his back was on the desk. He looked up only to see Temari jump over him, holding his wrists down and straddling his waist. He blushed a dark shade red as did Temari, though that didn't stop her from straddling him.

"I'm not going to be the uke!" She shouted and Shikamaru smirked, confusing her.

"There's no way I'm going to let you take over." Before Temari could reply, Shikamaru gave her another sensual kiss, deterring her enough so Shikamaru was able to roll them over and have him over her, holding her wrist down. When they parted, she snapped out of her blissful trance and noticed the way they were. She growled but Shikamaru ignored her as he attacked her neck with feather like kisses. She resisted to moan in pleasure she was getting from them, not wanting to be the uke.

Shikamaru smirked at her resilience and his kisses started to travel lower until they were on her collar bone. The sense she got from it was almost too much for her and she let out a small moan, earning a chuckle from Shikamaru. He however, refused to give her room to talk as he started to travel even lower down to the valley in her cleavage.

She blushed and ran her hand through his brown hair as he relentlessly attacked the top of her breasts. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued his assault. Things were starting to get hot.

[*.*.*.*]

Gaara sighed as he walked up the steps of the Kazekage Tower. It was night and he had just dropped Matsuri off at her house since he didn't want to leave her wandering the streets of Suna alone. As he neared the office, he heard the sounds of something thumping, or at least banging against something.

"Temari!" He heard the pineapple haired boy yell. Gaara opened the door leading the Kazekage's office and saw Shikamaru in the lotus position while he waited for Temari to make her move who sat on the Kazekage's desk.

"Oh Gaara, how are you?" Temari asked with a smile as Gaara looked around.

"What was that banging sound?" Gaara asked in his dead pan tone, which sounded about ten times more tired than usual. She pointed to the corner and Gaara saw his older brother's unconscious form.

"The idiot said something that pissed me off." She stated and Gaara rubbed his temples; that's what she always says.

"It's late, shouldn't you two be asleep or something?" Gaara asked. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand and shrugged while Temari stifled a yawn.

"We were waiting for you Gaara." Shikamaru looked at her oddly before seeing her throw the scroll from Konoha at Gaara. "Here, this came for you." Gaara opened the scroll and a second later, he closed it up before walking over to the desk.

"Wait a minute, you mean your brother is the Kazekage?" Shikamaru asked and Temari nodded. "Why didn't anyone tell us?" He asked.

"No one asked and besides, this is more like a trail. This village still hates me for the demon in me so they don't know about it yet. So please refrain from telling others unless completely necessary. Am I understood?" Gaara said and Shikamaru nodded a moment later. "Good, now you may go, I'll have a look at the scroll tomorrow."

"You're not going to read it now?" Shikamaru asked and Gaara shook his head.

"There is something else of greater importance that needs my attention at the moment. Like I said, I'll take a look at it tomorrow." Shikamaru nodded and left the room, heading for the hotel his team was reserved. Temari sighed as she sat down on the chair in front of the desk and propped her feet above the desk.

"So what's so important that it needs your attention right away?" Temari asked as Gaara looked at her tiredly.

"Sleep." He answered before he slammed his head against the desk and fell asleep. Temari gasped and went to check on him and found that he really was asleep. She shook her head and decided to go to sleep in her own home.

"Goodnight guys." She said as she turned out the lights in the room and closed the door.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto sat on the roof of the hotel they were currently staying, sitting in the lotus positing and with his eyes closed. After Shikamaru returned from where he was all day, Naruto snuck out and sat on the roof, leaving his team behind. He was currently training with Kyuubi in his mind while his outer boy was tense and unmoving. Naruto practiced the hand signs Kyuubi was showing him and then felt another presence watching him from the outside.

"**So you sense it to."**Kyuubi stated more than asked and Naruto nodded.

"It's been following us ever since we left Konoha." He said.

"**I've noticed that as well. It intrigues me that you didn't tell your kage about it." **Kyuubi said and Naruto shook his head.

"I wanted to know who exactly it was after. At first, I thought it was after me since every time I was near Konoha's borders, it was right there but now… he's after me and Hinata-chan." Naruto told Kyuubi.

"**And what's going to happen now?"** Kyuubi asked.

"Nothing; I'm not going to provoke it. Until it makes its first move, I'll just act like it's not there." Naruto said. Naruto was about to ask Kyuubi something when he felt himself being pushed out of his mindscape.

In the outside world, Naruto snapped his eyes open and saw Gaara standing over him. He blinked multiple times and then rubbed his eyes.

"Oh Gaara, it's you. I'm guessing you're the reason I was pulled out of my mindscape?" He asked and Gaara nodded. "I thought you'd be asleep by now." Naruto said as he yawned.

"I was but since I'm not used to sleeping, I usually only need two hours of sleep. I'm getting used to it little by little." Gaara said as he sat besides Naruto. Naruto leaned back and was staring up at the stars up above him. They stayed in silence, neither speaking a word and they were perfectly fine with it. "Naruto,"

"Hmm?"

"You remember what you told me the day Jiraiya-sama fixed my seal?" Gaara asked and Naruto's face contorted into one of contemplation.

"I wanna say yes… but I can't because I don't." He said.

"You told me 'there's always someone out there to love, to trust. It just might be harder for some than for most'. You also told me that the girl, Hinata, meant the world to you." Naruto nodded, urging Gaara to go on. "So how did you know?"

"That she was the girl for me?" Gaara nodded. "I can't really explain it." Naruto then chuckled and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Man, how many times was I asked this question? Ok uh… ok I got it. Hinata-chan once told me that love is when you cherish a certain person above everyone else. That every moment with the person is like heaven and the moments spent apart is like hell. You would even go so far as to die for that person. I guess it doesn't make that much sense unless you've actually been in love but…"

"Well, I feel this way for my brother and sister. Not the heaven and hell parts but I cherish them above everyone else because they stuck by my side, even when I was nothing but a hollow shell." Gaara said.

"Well that's a different kind of love especially reserved for family." Naruto and Gaara look back to see Hinata with her arms crossed.

"Hinata-hime, what are you doing up?" Naruto asked. Hinata walked over to where Naruto was and sat down in front of him. Naruto brought his arms around her waist and she leaned back, onto his chest and used it as a pillow.

"I couldn't sleep, something didn't feel right." She said and Naruto looked at her worriedly.

"What's wrong?"

"You weren't there." She said and he chuckled. Hinata then looked at Gaara with a sympathetic smile. "Love Gaara, is a special emotion that is strongest when shared with another. Love isn't something you can buy or bribe, just an emotion Kami-sama gives you when she feels you have earned or deserved it." Hinata said.

"I'm still confused." Gaara said. "I just want to know when you know you've found love."

"Love is like sunshine. It brings a golden glow to its beholder's face and a warm feeling all over their body. It awakens souls and opens eyes. And when it's over, it leaves billions of small memories called stars. To remind the world, that it still exists." Naruto said and hugged Hinata tightly. Hinata held his head with her arm and giggled.

"You only know that because it was in that crystal heart." Hinata said and Naruto chuckled.

"Well it doesn't matter, as long as Gaara gets what I mean." They both look up and see Gaara with a reflective look. They weren't sure if they got through to him but they could only hope.

"What about a… kiss?" Gaara asked.

"Hmm? What about it?" Naruto asked.

"How do they… well, feel like?" He asked, starting to get a little uncomfortable. Naruto and Hinata looked at each other before looking at him.

"It's like love Gaara, hard to describe." Everyone turned back and was surprised to see Shikamaru who yawned and sat down near the three.

"Is everyone going to wake up now? Should we wait for Sasuke to wake up and then we can really start the conversation?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"Shikamaru, how do you know how a kiss, or love, feels like?" Hinata asked and he sweat dropped.

"Are you saying I can't be loved?" He asked and Hinata covered her mouth with her hands.

"N-No, I'm just asking because, well, you don't seem to hang out with any other girl except Ino and that's only because of your team." Hinata said, hoping she hadn't hurt the Nara's feeling. He waved it off with a shrug.

"It's ok, I know what you mean." Shikamaru then looked at the stars with an over exasperated sigh. "When you kiss a girl, or in Hinata's case a boy, it sends chills down your body and gives you a sense of contentment that you can't find anywhere else. It's troublesome but it's something you look back on with a smile on your face." Shikamaru said and Naruto and Hinata stared at him incredulous while Gaara was passive though was inwardly making a mental note.

"That was deep Shikamaru." Naruto commented, earning a speechless nod from Hinata. "Also sounds like you know this from experience." Naruto said in a teasing manner.

"Yeah well…" Shikamaru trailed off and said nothing more. Gaara nodded and stood.

"I think understand, thank you… friends." He said and he disappeared in whirl of sand. Naruto and Hinata watched him leave and smiled. They then looked up at the sky and stayed quiet. Their breathing soon synchronized and they were starting to feel fatigue overtake their bodies. Shikamaru stood up and walked back to his room, saying his goodnight to the two lovers.

"You want to go back inside Hinata-hime?" Naruto asked and Hinata closed her eyes.

"Only if you want to, I'm actually very comfortable right here in your arms." Hinata said and Naruto grabbed both her hands and started playing with them as he held them.

"Then I won't move from my place." He said as his warm hands and body warmed Hinata up. She yawned and Naruto felt her hands go limp. He stopped playing with her hands but never let them go. He tore his gaze on her peaceful face and looked up at the stars, thinking back on Hinata's wise words on love.

"Kami-sama, what have I done to deserve the love of one of your angels?" He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "What have I, a demon, done to earn the opportunity to hold a beautiful angel in my arms?" Naruto continued as he was soon going to sleep. "Whatever I've done, I thank you for giving me my koibito." Were Naruto's last words as the two laid motionless on the roof of the hotel.

[*.*.*.*]

Matsuri faintly heard the sounds of knocking coming from her front door. Looking at her clock, it showed that it was midnight. She groggily got off her bed and put on a white shirt two sizes too big for her and walked to the front door. Opening it, all thoughts of sleep were dashed when she saw her visitor.

"G-Gaara-kun? What are you d-doing here?" She asked, still a bit shocked. When Gaara didn't say anything, she wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. However, she knew it wasn't a dream when his cold hand held on to her wrist that rose from her side. She looked into his teal eyes and saw an emotion she hadn't seen in him before.

Fear…

She blinked repeatedly as the emotion registered in her mind. For what reason would the great Gaara no Sabaku need to be fearful of? She gasped when he pulled on her arm and she hit his body. He kept his hand on her wrist while his free hand snaked its way to the small of her back. His eyes feared… they feared… her?

Matsuri was too busy entrapped in her thoughts to notice Gaara leaning his head towards her. It wasn't until his nose touched the tip of hers did she snap out of her thoughts and stared wide eyed into Gaara's eyes. He was quiet, refusing to utter a word as to not ruin the quiet peace the night time brought with it. His lips seemed drawn to hers and vice versa. As soon as their lips touched, Matsuri felt a jolt of electricity run through her body and she tilted her head away. Gaara moved again and this time, Matsuri stopped him with her hand which was resting on his chest.

Gaara's eyes, while still keeping their fearful gaze, were now filled with sadness and it was then that Matsuri pieced together the fear in his eyes with its sadness…

They showed his fear of her rejection.

"Gaara-kun… what are you doing?" Matsuri asked as her chest was rising and falling at a rapid pace.

"I… don't know." He answered and her ebony eyes looked at his with kindness and understanding.

"D-Do… I mean are you trying to… kiss me?" She asked and Gaara was hesitant to answer, once again, showing his fears in his eyes.

"Yes, I am." He said and she bit her bottom lip.

"Why?" She asked.

"I don't know. I used to think that everyone would eventually betray me; that you should only love yourself." He answered.

"So why-?" Gaara didn't let her finish as he quickly placed his lips softly on hers. They were needy, hungry and passionate, something Matsuri only dreamt about. Now here she was, kissing the one she admired, the one she liked and she could only think about the dreams she had. She closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck and returned the emotions he felt for her.

"Because love is like sunshine. It brings a golden glow to its beholder's face and a warm feeling all over their body. It awakens souls and opens eyes. And when it's over, it leaves billions of small memories called stars. To remind the world, that it still exists." Gaara quoted, though Matsuri didn't know that.

"A-Are you saying that y-you…"

"I don't know; love is a foreign emotion to me." He said as he looked away from her. "However," he then looks at her and the look in his eyes takes her breath away. "I want to learn about it… through experience." He said.

"So you o-only came to m-me because you want to know w-what love is?" She asked, feeling somewhat used.

"No, because you were the first to show me kindness." He said and hugged her. "And also, there's something about you… I don't know what it is but, I feel… warmer around you." He said in a hesitant tone. He then felt his shoulder, where Matsuri's head was, become moist. He moved back and saw that she was crying. He would've panicked if it wasn't for the smile on her lips.

"Thank you…" She said as her legs started to buckle and she fell into his arms, unconscious. Gaara lifted her up and brought her inside her home, closing the door behind him. He walked into her room and carefully placed her on her bed. He wiped away her tears with his thumb as his hand caressed her cheek. She subconsciously leaned into his touch, smiling all the while.

Gaara watched her sleep and felt a sense of protectiveness over her; like, as if she was a fragile yet beautiful crystal in need of protection from those who would dare harm her. At the same time, Gaara had a sense of inner peace as he watched her sleep; it was even enough to calm Shukaku's yells of protest and disgust.

All of this coming from one look; inner peace, protectiveness and strength. Strength he was going to need to make sure the beautiful crystal in front of him would never shatter. He smiled as he leaned down and gave her one last kiss, a delicate one, on her lips. He felt that chill run down his spine, just as the lazy nin had said.

As he exited her house and made sure it was locked, Gaara summoned a cloud of sand under his feet and it lifted him off the ground. He commanded the cloud to take him to his office, to resume the paperwork that awaited him there. As he made his way to the office, he thought back on the kiss and his smile became wider.

Love was a very complicated emotion… one he hoped he just found in Matsuri.

**

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**

**Short chapter, sorry but I had to so the next chapter could be a little longer...**

**So how was the fluff? In a review [or pm, whatever] tell me which fluff you liked the best**

**-Naruto and Hinata's  
-Gaara and Matsuri's  
-Shikamaru and Temari's **

**I want to know! But eh, you don't have to, do what you want...**

**Next Chapter: We return home! The mess that awaits!**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!**


	32. We return home! The mess that awaits!

**YO! IT FEELS LIKE ITS BEEN FOREVER!**

**HUGS!**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**No? ok, good, I didn't really want to hug, it'd be pretty awkward for those I don't know...**

**Anywho, hope you didn't miss this story too much... **

**On with the story!**

**Chapter 32: ****We return home! The mess that awaits!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

Naruto waved to Gaara as he, Hinata, Sasuke and Shikamaru walked out of Suna's entrance and headed for their home. Shikamaru glanced at Temari who was looking at him seductively. He blushed but smirked as he turned his head and waved to her from behind. He then looked at Naruto who now had his attention on his girlfriend who was smiling while standing next to him. Sasuke was quiet as he walked in front of everyone with a brooding aura around him.

"I can't wait to go home! I can't believe we've been there for almost a week! As soon as I see Konoha, I'm going straight to Ichiraku's and eat ramen till I explode!" Naruto announced earning a giggle from Hinata, a smirk from Shikamaru and a scowl from Sasuke. Naruto noticed Sasuke's dark expression and frowned but didn't say anything; at least not until they reached Konoha.

Almost three days have passed since Shikamaru's team left Suna and knew they were close to Konoha if the scenery had anything to say about it. Naruto was still worried about Sasuke whose mood was getting worse with each passing hour. He had asked Shikamaru and Hinata if they knew anything about it but they knew as much as he did; nothing. Finally, Naruto decided to confront him about it.

"What's wrong with you Sasuke? You look like hell." Naruto said and Sasuke glared at him.

"Leave me alone dobe." Sasuke warned as he walked a bit faster. Naruto ran up to catch up and grabbed his arm.

"What did I-" Naruto jumped back as Sasuke tried to punch him. "Hey!" Naruto ducked under a roundhouse kick but didn't see a left job come from the side. Naruto coughed as Sasuke's fist buried itself in his abdomen. Naruto staggered back as he tried to null the pain in his stomach before standing and rushing to Sasuke. However, he was held back by Hinata who held on to his right arm.

"We shouldn't fight each other, we're teammates remember?" Hinata said but Naruto and Sasuke only glared at each other.

"I don't know what you're problem's been these days teme but it's gotta stop!" Naruto demanded.

"You're my problem dobe!" Sasuke shouted back and Hinata tried desperately to hold Naruto back who was slowly getting closer and closer to Sasuke. "Why does Itachi find you so interesting?!" He blurted out and Naruto took a few steps back, along with Hinata.

"W-What do you mean?" Naruto asked hesitantly, wondering if he knew of his training with Itachi. Hinata was afraid that Sasuke did find out and that Sasuke would attack Naruto.

"You know what I'm talking about! When he came with that other blue guy to get you! What is it about you that has Itachi's interest?!" Sasuke roared.

"Sasuke calm down, you're being troublesome." Shikamaru said calmly.

"You stay out of this!" Sasuke retorted angrily before looking at Hinata. "You too, get out of the way." Sasuke ordered.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Naruto said to defend Hinata.

"And why not?! I was the one who saved her by rushing her to the hospital when she went into cardiogenic shock! If anything, she should have left you for me! Where were you when she needed you the most? Oh that's right, you were killing someone!" Sasuke shouted and Naruto growled but noticed a gleam in Sasuke's eyes that he hadn't seen before.

"I'm surprised she stayed with you as long as she has. I almost feel sorry for her for having to 'love' someone like you! You're nothing special; you're just like everyone else. Don't be surprised if one day she leaves you for me!" Everyone looked at him in shock. In an instant, Sasuke was sent back by Naruto's right fist to the face.

"Shut up Sasuke, you don't know what you're talking about!" Naruto yelled as he felt his rage almost overcome him.

'_**Breathe kit, he's just trying to get under your skin.**_' Naruto mentally nodded as Sasuke stood. He started to chuckle as black, fire like shapes started to spread from the left side of his neck. After a second, the entire left side of Sasuke's body was decorated with the black flames.

"You want to fight? I'll give you a fight!" Sasuke shouted as he disappeared from Naruto's sight, only for him to feel a harsh kick to his ribs. He was rolling on the ground before he recovered and looked at where he felt the kick come from but saw no one but Hinata and Shikamaru there.

"TO SLOW!" Naruto groaned as Sasuke's fist connected with his face and he flew across the heavily wooded area. Naruto's back hit a tree before going passed it and onto the next tree, breaking every tree in his path. He recovered as he picked himself off the trees and dusted himself. He looked up and saw Sasuke slowly walking to him.

Naruto growled as he took out one of his swords; Sasuke had no idea what he was in for now.

[*.*.*.*]

"MINATO-KUN!" Minato flinched as he entered his home and heard the shout of his lover. He was only given a second to think as a red blur rammed into him and sent him out of the house. "Where were you?" Kushina asked worriedly. Minato blinked repeatedly at her.

"Working?" He answered confusingly. Kushina hugged him tightly as she snuggled against his chest.

"I missed you so much." She said and Minato stood with Kushina still holding on to him like a life line.

"But… we saw each other an hour ago." Minato stated and Kushina pouted.

"What? I can't miss you anymore? You want me to leave you alone forever?" She asked as she took a step away from Minato.

"Oh no you don't." Minato grabbed Kushina's arm and brought her in for another hug. "You're not doing that to me again, I learned my lesson the last time." He told her and she giggled.

"Good, I was afraid that I was going to have to re-teach you everything." Kushina teased and Minato blushed, remembering one particular lesson. "Looks like you remember my favorite." Minato's silence and red face was all the assurance she needed. She sighed as her enjoyment wore off at the thought of their son still in Suna.

"What's wrong Kushina-chan?" Minato asked, noticing her sudden change in mood.

"I'm still worried about Naruto, he's been gone for almost a week now and I miss him too." She answered, letting herself be comforted by her lover. He picked her up bridal style and walked into his home.

"Come on, you saw how skilled his when he attacked me, he's a strong shinobi who will need at least an army to stop him, not unlike his old man." Minato reassured Kushina with a joke and she smiled.

"You're right; we have nothing to worry about." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She breathed in his scent as he walked up the stairs and kicked the door to their room open. He gently laid her on the bed and before he could make another move, Kushina, with her arms still wrapped around his neck, pulled him into a heated kiss.

_**BOOM**_

Minato's and Kushina's kiss was interrupted when a loud explosion sounded through the entire village and shook the ground. Minato and Kushina looked out the window and saw a cloud of smoke rising from a location about half a mile away from their current location. Minato and Kushina looked at each other, nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke after Minato put on his ANBU mask.

They appeared just outside their house and watched as a couple of jonin and even less ANBU race over to where the cloud of smoke was. Everyone stopped abruptly as soon as they felt an enormous amount of chakra accumulating near the cloud of smoke.

_**BOOM**_

Another huge explosion rocked the Earth from under the jonin and ANBU as most jonin were starting to sweat. They wondered if this enormous chakra reserves belonged to an enemy shinobi and if so, would they be able to stop if?

Minato and Kushina knew better than to think that; they knew who's chakra reserves were high enough to pull off a jutsu which required lots of chakra. They began to run to where a fight was probably occurring and were surprised to see Sasuke dodging a quick swipe from Naruto after arriving.

"Kushina-san!" Kushina turned to see Hinata and Shikamaru. "Kushina-san, you have to stop them!" Hinata yelled as she and Shikamaru were standing in front of the two adults. Minato, from under his mask, was looking at Naruto as he dodged a giant fireball while simultaneously sending a blade of chakra at Sasuke. After a second, the rest of the ANBU and jonin from earlier arrived and watched the fight from a distance. One ANBU made to intercept them but Minato stopped him with his extended right arm.

"Let's let them get it out of their system first; we'll stop them when we have to." He ordered and the other ANBU nodded their heads. Everyone's focus then turned to Sasuke and Naruto who were now panting as they glared at each other; well, Sasuke was panting and Naruto was getting his bruises and cuts healed by Kyuubi.

Sasuke felt his hatred flare up as he noticed that Naruto wasn't even winded, at least not a lot that it was noticeable. His mind focused on hurting Naruto, maybe even killing him if he had to, just so he could know just how strong he was compared to Naruto. Without even thinking, Sasuke flashed through some hand signs before he gripped his left wrist with his right hand.

The sounds of thousands of birds chirping were heard as Sasuke's left hand shined with electricity. Naruto cocked his right hand to the side after shaking his head and summoned chakra to his palm while making the it spin. After a while, Sasuke and Naruto were only staring at each other, faintly taking note of shouts and bellows off in the side. That wasn't important to them now, they were going to settle this once in for all; they were going to find out who was the better shinobi.

With an unofficial signal, both shinobi charged at each other with their attack waiting to be sprung. At a distance of ten feet, Naruto and Sasuke threw their individual attack forward and waited for the impact… until…

"**Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!**" Suddenly, something grabbed onto both shinobi's legs and grabbed onto Naruto's right wrist and Sasuke's left wrist. Composing himself, Naruto noticed that he was just a couple of inches away from Sasuke with his Rasengan aimed for Sasuke's heart. His eyes widened as realization struck in; he was about to seriously hurt Sasuke or even kill him. Sasuke also noticed that his left hand was inches away from Naruto's chest and cursed, he almost had him.

Naruto looked around and saw that he was in the esophagus of a great, fire-breathing toad from Myōbokuzan and some of the skin were wrapped around both their wrist.

An ANBU appeared in between the two boys and was crouched down, his face directed at Naruto. A second ANBU appeared behind Sasuke and knocked him out with a chop to his neck. The chidori vanished from Sasuke's hand and Naruto cancelled his Rasengan which made the ANBU release the jutsu and were once again surrounded by the devastating battle field that was once a forest. Now, there were trees toppled over each other and giant craters around the area.

"Naru-chan!" Naruto turned to see Kushina running to him before glomping him. Naruto groaned as his mother started to baby him, making sure he wasn't hurt before she hit him over the head.

"OW! What was that for?!" Naruto asked only to shut up after catching his mother's glare.

"How can you do something so stupid, and to your teammate no less!" She scolded and Naruto scoffed.

"Yeah right, what I did was not stupid, it was self-defense. I did continue the fight, only tried to survive it!" Naruto said in his defense. Kushina just kept glaring until she sighed and rubbed her head.

"It doesn't matter Naru-chan; you could've killed Sasuke with your rasengan." Kushina heard Sasuke scoff and faced him. He was sitting down on the ground as he rubbed his neck.

"It's true and you could've killed him with your Chidori, which reminds me, I still have a scarecrow to kill." Kushina said darkly and Minato, who was reporting to his team what happened in the toad's esophagus, shivered in fear for his former student. Kushina then grabbed Naruto's and Sasuke's ears and pulled them to her side.

"And if I find out that both of you pull this stunt again then you'll hear from me, got that?" She asked sweetly and both boys nervously nodded. "Good!"

She let both of them go and headed back to her home, still tired from completing her two day mission. Minato disappeared from the crowd and walked back with Kushina. Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other, knowing their fight was far from done. Naruto was the first to break the eye contact and went to Hinata who was being interrogated by an ANBU.

"She'll finish this later, right now, we gotta go get debriefed by Tsunade-sama." Naruto said as he grabbed Hinata's hand and intertwined their fingers. The ANBU seemed to be glaring at Naruto, he wasn't so sure, but he honestly didn't care. The ANBU didn't answer right away but Naruto didn't wait for him to answer as he pulled Hinata and walked over to Shikamaru who was already walking on the trail heading to Konoha.

The other ANBU and jonin started to disperse as Sasuke didn't move from his spot. His sharingan, which was active at the time of the attack, noticed that Naruto's hand was closer to his chest then his own hand; meaning he would've won the fight. Sasuke scowled at this insight and his hand was surrounded with lightning. He let out a frustrated roar as he slammed his left hand into the ground; letting out his frustrations in one go.

After the dust cleared, Sasuke dug his hand out of the ground and stared at his hand; he was still weak, why?!

Sasuke heard a dark chuckle as he continued to stare at his hand.

"So, I see you realize that you would've lost." At this, Sasuke's scowl deepened as he turned and saw four other shinobi. The one on the far right had pink hair and bandages wrapped around her head; it was obvious she was a girl. The one to her left was a giant man with orange hair that was separated into three parts, the middle in the form of a Mohawk. The one to the left of him was a man with silver hair and had what looked like a rosary on his neck. The last one was truly unique as he had six arms and had his hair up like Shikamaru.

"Pathetic." The one with six arms, who was also the one who spoke earlier, mocked. "And we thought you were the top of the game but it looks like it's actually the blond brat."

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke barked and the four laughed.

"The Sound Four! East Gate's Kidomaru!" Said the Six armed guy.

"South's Gate Jirobo!" The giant guy said.

"West gate's Sakun." Said the Silverhaired guy.

"North Gate's Tayuya." The pink haired girl said.

"The hell do you four clowns want?" Sasuke asked angrily and Kidomaru chuckled.

"Looks like someone can bark but can he bite? Remember kid, the weakest one in the game always goes down first." He continued and at this Sasuke activated his Sharingan and ran at the guy. Before he reached though, Tayuya appeared in front of him and was playing a tune. Sasuke noticed that she was placing a genjutsu on him however because of his Sharingan, Sasuke was able to avoid it and sent a kick to her stomach.

Not expecting this, Tayuya was thrown back and was caught by Kidomaru. Sasuke ducked as Sakun tried to punch his face and kicked him in the chest, sending Sakun back. Sasuke jumped over Jirobo who tried to knock him out with a shot to the back of the head and placed his hand between the hole in the purple belt they each wore.

Sasuke intercepted Kidomaru's punch and held onto it as he turned and tossed both of them to the other two who were still recovering from his kicks. They looked up in time to see their two other teammates crash into them. A cloud of dust rose from the ground and when it dispersed, Sasuke saw four logs in place of the other four shinobi.

Sasuke brought his right arm up and blocked a roundhouse kick from Sakun. He reached into his pouch, took out some wire and wrapped it around the guy's leg. Sakun separated but before he could go anywhere, Sasuke tied his leg to a fallen tree and tried to kick his face. Sakun blocked it and grabbed onto it, causing Sasuke to smile before he jumped and sent a punch to his face but was blocked again. Sasuke didn't deter as he twisted his body and brought his other leg to kick him. It was blocked with a cross of Sakun's arms and Sasuke threw his free hand through the Sakun's defense.

Sasuke let out a painful yell as an invisible punch appeared from nowhere and hit his sternum, sending him back. Recovering, Sasuke did a back flip as he avoided a sweeping kick from Kidomaru. Sasuke flipped and blocked a sticky substance that Kidomaru spit out before being pulled by the substance and was head butted by Jirobo.

Sasuke flew in the air, right at Sakun as Sakun smiled devilishly. However, Sasuke flipped in midair and landed in front of Sakun and was crouched down. Before Sakun could act accordingly, Sasuke kicked up and connected with Sakun's chin. With him in the air, Sasuke followed after him and punched Sakun's stomach. Sasuke spun and back handed Sakun with a fist to his face. Sasuke punched Sakun's stomach one last time before delivering an axe kick to Sakun's chest just as they touched the ground.

Sasuke's vision was blurred as the dust consumed his sight but felt someone grab onto his heel and raise him above the ground. When the smoke cleared, he was shocked to see Sakun smugly looking at him as he held on to his heel.

'_Every attack hit, so how's he still standing like nothing happened? Am I that weak?'_ Sasuke thought furiously.

"Hmm, I know someone how had more experience than you. How pitiful, how could Orochimaru-sama want someone as weak as you?" Sakun said.

"If you stay in that shitty village, you'll only get a bit stronger but never as strong as us." Tayuya added. "But if you come with us, Orochimaru will make you stronger, stronger than you can imagine." Sasuke scowled as his curse mark started to act funny and he felt pain in his neck. Sakun dropped him as the Sound Four surrounded him.

"It's you choice, come with us, or die right now." Kidomaru said and Sasuke scowled.

"So… you said I can attain strength beyond my imagination?" Sasuke asked and the Sound Four smirked.

"Yes, but there is one thing you have to do before we take you back." Sakun said and Sasuke watched as the four started to laugh.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto grumbled under his mask as he sat on top of the log Hinata was practicing her Jyuken strikes on.

"Can you believe him Hinata-chan, saying you should go with him? HA!" Naruto ranted as Hinata nodded her head. "Please, you're mine…" Hinata stopped and looked up at him with a look that yelled 'Wanna repeat that?'.

Naruto sweat dropped and chuckled nervously.

"And I'm yours?" Hinata still had that look and he sighed. "You know what I meant. I know you wouldn't leave me just like I wouldn't leave you. We're inseparable." He said and Hinata nodded with a smile and Naruto wondered how much bonding time Hinata's spent with his mom.

"That teme is really losing it if he thinks I'd give you up without a fight or something." Naruto continued and Hinata stopped, took in a deep breath and removed the sweat from her brow.

"Calm down Naruto-kun. I might not have liked what he said but he's still part of team 7. Let's just cool down before we do something we'll regret." Hinata suggested and Naruto jumped off the vertical log, landing next to Hinata.

"Yeah, ok, but I'm still a better choice than the teme right?" He asked and Hinata decided to mess with him.

"Well…"

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto saw the smile on her face and he chuckled.

"I guess I'm going to have to prove to you I'm better than the teme, eh? Is that it?" Hinata looked back at him and he hugged her from behind. "I bet the teme can't hug you like this, not like I can." Naruto said and Hinata leaned back into his arms.

"He can't kiss your neck," Naruto placed light kisses on Hinata's neck causing her to giggle and blush a little. "Like I can." Naruto then spun her around, making her face him and catching her off guard. He smirked at her surprised look and brought his mask down to kiss her on the lips. She closed her eyes a second later and his lips curved upward.

He broke the kiss and chuckled at seeing her pout.

"Sasuke can't kiss like I can." Naruto said and Hinata blushed. He hugged her and put his forehead against hers. "And I'm sure as hell that he can't love you like I do. Look into my eyes and tell me I'm lying." He told her and her lavender eyes stared into his eyes and saw the truth.

"I… I can't. I can't say you're lying." She said and Naruto smiled.

"That's because I'm not. Now come, I'm taking you out tonight." He grabbed her hand and they walked hand in hand through Konoha.

"Where are we going?" Hinata asked and Naruto smirked.

"To eat but we gotta look our best." Naruto said and Hinata smiled, giggling as he began to run.

**[*.*.*.*]**

"What do you want?" Naruto chuckled and smiled nervously as Neji stared at him in disbelief. After bringing her home, Naruto waited for Hinata to get ready. However, he remembered that he didn't exactly have nice clothes and the nearest person who probably did was Neji, unfortunately.

"I said… well, if I can borrow a fancy outfit of yours. You know, something you use when you take Tenten out." Neji blushed, crossed his arms and muttered out denials.

"Come on! Just this once!" Naruto whined Neji sighed.

"Ok, but I better get it back in the same condition I got it in… got it Uzumaki?" Naruto stood at attention and saluted Neji.

"Yes sir!" Naruto shouted and Neji led him to his room.

"You can be such a child sometimes." Neji commented and Naruto scowled.

"Yeah, the same child that beat you up… twice." Neji stopped and looked at him.

"Care to repeat that?" Naruto flinched and waved his hands in front of him.

"N-No no, I'm fine; I didn't say anything." Neji continued walking and Naruto slumped his back as he followed, mumbling about uptight Hyugas and how it was possible that Hinata was from said clan. Walking into his room, Naruto stared at awe.

It was the most organized room he had ever soon. With a bed that looked like he could jump on it and immediately be thrown through the roof. There was a desk with a chair and some other of his personal possession. Naruto nodded his head as Neji searched his closet; this was exactly how he pictured his room.

"Lee so owes me twenty-five ryos." Naruto mumbled and Neji tossed him a long, dark blue kimono with a light blue obi. Naruto looked at it and saw the Yin-Yang symbol embedded on the back.

"This is it?" Naruto asked and Neji nodded.

"It's the smallest kimono I have and even then, I think it'll be a little too big for you." Naruto's vein on his forehead popped up and Naruto glared at the Hyuga.

"You calling me short?!" Naruto yelled and Neji smirked.

"Not in so many words." Naruto looked away.

"If you weren't lending me your shirt, I'd definitely kick your ass… again!" Naruto said and Neji's smirk disappeared. "Ha-ha no more smartass remarks huh?" Naruto asked as he walked into the hallway, only to bump into something.

"Ow." Naruto rubbed his head and looked up, only to let out a quiet yell of surprise when he was face to face with the Hyuga Clan's Clan Head. "Dah! H-Hyuga-sama I…"

"Uzumaki… please refrain from using such language in my home. It might be acceptable wherever you live but here, we like to keep an air of maturity and civility." Hiashi said and Naruto nodded before rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, it won't happen again." Naruto assured and Hiashi nodded. Hiashi was about to go to his office when he noticed Naruto holding one of Neji's older clothing.

"If I may ask, what exactly are you doing with Neji's clothing?" Hiashi asked and Naruto thought of something to say. However Neji came out of his room and bowed to him.

"Hiashi-sama, Naruto plans to take Hinata out to eat." Naruto looked at Neji with exaggerated tears and a sense of betrayal.

"Oh does he? With whose permission?" Naruto looked at Hiashi with puppy dog eyes.

"Yours?" Naruto asked and Hiashi just looked at him seriously and Naruto sighed. He turned to his hands and knees and bowed deeply, his forehead touching the floor.

"I wish to take Hinata-chan out to dinner… if you'll permit it, Hyuga-sama." Hiashi, Neji and even the one hiding behind a door was surprised by Naruto's politeness. With the slightest of movements, Hiashi's lips curved upward before he walked away.

"You have my permission. Just be sure to bring her home at an appropriate time." He said and Naruto smirked as he stood. He looked at Neji with a cheeky grin.

"Wasn't so hard, now if you'll excuse me." Naruto walked by Neji only to slam his face into the doorway. He holds his head before closing the door behind him. Neji sighed before bringing his head up and knocking on his bedroom door.

"Why are you changing in my room?! Go to the bathroom!" Neji said and growled when Nartuo started whistling loudly. Neji turned around at hearing giggling but his mind shut off at seeing who it was.

"Hi-Hinata-sama?"

Naruto looked at himself in the mirror and smirked; he didn't look too bad if he didn't say so himself. He walked to the door, unlocked it and opened it.

"Yo-" He stopped whatever he was going to say when he saw Hinata talking to Neji. She was wearing a beautiful lilac kimono with occasional images of sakura petals. She had a white obi and was wearing opened toed sandals. Her hair didn't look much different and she barely put any make-up but she did had a little blush on her cheeks. When her eyes connected to his, her dark was darkened.

The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was some sort of goddess which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." Naruto babbled a greeting but it ultimately sounded like he was only two years old. She giggled and grabbed his left hand. "Come on, silly."

Naruto smiled as he let Hinata drag him out of her house and into the sidewalk. She stopped and faced Naruto who finally composed himself.

"So, where are we going?" Hinata asked and Naruto grabbed her hand, intertwined their fingers and he started walking.

"To the Calm Leaf." Naruto answered and Hinata's eyes widened.

"C-Calm Leaf? But that's the most expensive restaurant in Konoha." Hinata stated and Naruto nodded his head.

"And the fanciest; nothing's too good for my girl." Naruto said and chuckled, looking in front and away from Hinata.

'_It doesn't hurt that the owner still owes my mom a favor…'_ He thought but decided that that little piece of information was too trivial to say aloud. Hinata could only stare at the back of Naruto's head as she smiled and thanked kami for letting her find happiness in her Naruto. When Naruto stopped walking, she wondered what made him stop.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" She noticed him staring intently at the forest to their left. He shook his head and looked at her seriously before leaning next to her left ear.

"Hinata, use your Byakugan and tell me what's over there." Naruto said, whispering to Hinata's ear. She nodded and inconspicuously activated her Byakugan. She gasped and turned her back to the forest.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke's out there and he has…"

"Yeah, I thought that was what he had. Hinata, I want you to go tell baa-chan about this while I try to stop him." Naruto said as he turned to the forest and summoned up his chakra to surround the area.

"Come out Sasuke, I know you're there." Naruto cursed when he saw something run away from him. "Damn it teme!" Naruto ran after him, intent on getting what belongs to Konoha back.

"Naruto-kun, wait!" Naruto continued on and Hinata decided to listen to him and headed for the Hokage's Tower.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Hinata barged into the Hokage's Office but was surprised when she saw no one there, the lights off and the blinds closed. Hinata turned around but immediately bumped into Shizune who looked down at Hinata.

"Hinata? What are-"

"No time to explain Shizune-san Sasuke-" Hinata started but Shizune past her and into the empty office.

"Where is Tsunade-sama?!" She shrieked and Hinata walked in behind her but Shizune walked past her again. "Oh my, this isn't good."

"Shizune!" But Shizune didn't hear her as she disappeared in the hallway. Hinata bit her bottom lip and wondered what she should do next. She ran out of the Hokage Tower and down the street, hoping to see someone who'll help her.

"Neji-nee-san!" Hinata shouted and caught her cousin's attention.

"Hinata-sama? I thought-" Neji said but was interrupted.

"I know but I need your help, Sasuke is trying to leave the village and Naruto-kun's already gone to stop him. And besides that, I noticed that four other people were waiting for Sasuke a mile or so outside the village. We need to help him." She said and Neji nodded.

"Ok, here's what we're going to do. You will use the Byakugan to find any available shinobi and tell them this. I'll go after Naruto and act as backup; agreed?" Hinata nodded and they both left. As Hinata searched for some help, she hoped Naruto and Neji would return alive…

**

* * *

Yup, I'm changing it up a bit... I didn't really want to put a timeskip and this was the next best thing I could come up with...**

**What was it that Sasuke stole? For what reason?**

**Find out.... later =]...**

**Man, it's going to get pretty violent later and then, after that, I end the story... Just so I can make another story to continue where I left off...**

**Any questions, concerns? Let me know in a review, I'd like to hear them...**

**Till next time!**

**Next Chapter: Sasuke's choice, Konoha's consequence...**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...**


	33. Important

**Ok, yo! what's up, que la vaina y que onda?**

**I don't have a lot of time but I decided that I should take at least some time to let everyone know something...**

**Ok, first off, thanks for reading this story...**

**If it wasn't for you readers, I probably wouldn't have written most or any of my stories... or kept going, either way...**

**Second, after reading an update from an awesome story Naruto vs Sasuke: the aftermath, KingKakashi got an idea in my head...**

**So, here it goes...**

**No matter how long it takes, no matter what, I won't abandon this story or any story... The only way I'll give up is if I'm physically or mentally incapable of updating... Sadly tho, my family is doing a good job with my mental stability and the Navy is dealing with my physical side... I'm gunna die from over exhaustion soon... blah... **

**Anyway, please be patient with me, life is getting a hell of a lot hectic right now and I really don't need to be flamed/bashed about just cuz I can't get a break in life...**

**No, this isn't a sob story to get your sympathy, I really am not trying to get it... **

**Just basic info that I think you, as my reader, needs to know...**

**Hopefully you haven't given up faith with this story but if anyone has, sorry... Life sucks...**

**Still, hopefully my muse will come back soon and I can update as soon as possible...**

**Till then!**

**************Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...**  



	34. Sasuke's choice

**Hey, its been way too long...**

**Sorry it took so long, life's been pretty hectic, not fun...**

**Still, I got this review a few days ago... Its weird, I mean, i appreciate everyone who reviews and it always gets me pumped up to write a new chapter... Though this one, this certain review, got me up and typing up a new chapter... Thank you nightshadow04, and everyone else who's still faithful to this story...**

**Enjoy...**

**Chapter 34: Sasuke's choice, Konoha's consequences...**

******I don't own Naruto...**

* * *

Naruto rushed past the trees as Sasuke's silhouette came into view. His eyes narrowed as he put more speed into his run and was now only two feet behind him.

"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke's head turned in his direction before he looked forward again and managed to put more distance between him and Naruto. With a cry of anger, Naruto sent chakra bursting out of the soles of his feet, sending him to the sky and just above Sasuke. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto reared his fist back and let out a feral growl.

Sasuke looked up and was punched in the face by Naruto, sending him crashing in the ground and leaving a trail as his body was mercilessly dragged against the ground by his momentum. Naruto was too preoccupied with Sasuke that he didn't notice the thing Sasuke was holding dropped to the ground and rolled under a tree.

Naruto landed a few feet away from Sasuke with a soundless thump and waited for him to stand.

Struggling, Sasuke stood and chuckled while wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You actually hit me." Sasuke stated and Naruto snarled at him.

"I'll do more than that if you keep running from me. Where the hell do you think you're going with the Scroll of Sealing?" Naruto asked and Sasuke chuckled.

"I'm going to take it to Orochimaru, where he'll take me in and make me even stronger than I am now." Sasuke told Naruto, with a smile that made Naruto wonder about how stable Sasuke's mind was at the moment.

"That's not going to happen; not while I'm alive and breathing." Naruto said as he took out one of his swords from inside the kimono. Sasuke chuckled as he took out a kunai.

"Guess we'll have to do something about that then." Naruto tensed when four new figures appeared behind Sasuke.

"I can handle him." Sasuke roared at the Sound Four.

"I'm sure but we have to do something to you before you can come with us. Here," Sakon said before tossing Sasuke a black pill. "eat it and then leave the rest to us." Sasuke stared at the pill before growling and eating it. The Sound Four smiled and Naruto scowled; this would get complicated for Naruto.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Hinata panted as she stood in front of a house of someone she knew would be of some help. Knocking on the door, she was glad that the person who she was looking for was the one who answered the door.

"Hinata, what're you doing here?" Kiba asked, surprised to she Hinata at his house so late in the evening. He had long since figured that he was out of the long competition for Hinata's heart. Sure, a small spark of feelings was still there but he knew, in his heart as much as his mind, that he was never going to be seen as nothing more than a friend, if that much, in Hinata's eyes.

Kiba looked around, not seeing Naruto in sight.

"And where's Naruto?" He asked and Hinata grabbed his sleeve.

"That's just it, something happened with Sasuke and now he left the village. Naruto-kun and Neji-nee-san went to go recover him." Hinata told him and Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"So? Sure Sasuke is pretty good, but he's got Naruto AND Neji on his tail. I'm sure the numbers game will eventually play in." Kiba said. Hinata shook her head.

"There were four others waiting a mile away, no doubt to reinforce Sasuke." Hinata cried. "Please Kiba, help them." Kiba looked into Hinata's eyes and couldn't find the will to say no. WIth a sigh, he called for Akamaru and loudly announced his leave to the house.

Once outside, Kiba followed Hinata as she activated her Byakugan. He was silent for all but a minute before he sighed again.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Kiba asked and Hinata turned to him.

"I want you to go after them and help them. I have no doubt that they're fighting as we speak." Hinata said and Kiba nodded, however before he left, Kiba looked at his hands. Hinata blinked at his hesitation and Akamaru yipped at him, seeming to urge him on, to say the thing on his mind.

"Listen Hinata, its probably obvious by now, but I've had a crush on you since the academy." Hinata's puzzled look cleared into one of sadness.

"Oh Kiba-" She was going to say something but wasn't given the chance as Kiba raised his hand to stop her.

"No, let me finish, I have a little more to say." Kiba took in a deep breath. "I've tried so hard to get your attention, from being a jerk to others just so you'd notice me to trying to out do and even hating the one you loved." Hinata nodded, letting him know that she was listening.

"Its hard to explain but I guess just because you were different - in a good way - from the other girls, I felt that you were right for me. I still think you are," he continued "but its obvious that I'm not right for you; I see it now. It's taken me some time but, I know now that I can never be nothing more than a comrade to you." Kiba stated with a sigh.

"I accept this but I just wanted to let you know." Kiba said and Hinata closed her eyes and nodded.

"KIba," Kiba looked up and saw Hinata smiling at him. "I'm flattered, really, I am but its as you said, I belong and Naruto and he to me. Nothing in this world can change that." Kiba's mood fell at her words; it felt like her words transformed into knives and stabbed his heart.

"Still, just because I don't reciprocate your feelings, doesn't mean you should give up on love." Kiba looked up at her with a look that said 'I think I should'.

"I'm serious. In this world, I'm sure there's a lucky girl out there waiting to meet and eventually fall in love with you." Hinata stated with conviction. "For now, you have to be patient and wait for this girl to enter your life." Kiba saw no deception in her eyes and sighed.

"I guess I have no choice but to wait." Kiba closed his eyes and hung his head. He was surprised however, when he felt Hinata kiss his cheek. He looked up in surprise.

"Thank you for helping me." She said before running off. Kiba watched her leave and sighed.

He hadn't felt a thing from the kiss; no heartbeat as fast as a flying kunai, no fireworks, nothing. He guessed he really was over Hinata and if what she said was true, he still had a chance at love...

As long as he survived what he was about to get himself into.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto stared with hatred at the biggest of the Sound Four, Jirobo. The others have taken Sasuke with them just after giving Jirobo instructions to not only keep Naruto busy, but also kill him.

Naruto knew he could easily outmatch this joker with a simple move. However, he wanted to conserve as much chakra as he could to beat some common sense into Sasuke.

Sweat travelled down the brow of Jirobo as he mentally cursed at Naruto. He was too quick for most of his jutsus and he hasn't even broken a sweat yet. JIrobo wondered if he had to resort to using his first level of the curse mark.

Naruto heard footsteps approaching and when he turned, he was surprised to see Neji appear.

"Neji?" Naruto wondered aloud and Neji smirked.

"I thought I told you to return my kimono in the same condition you received it." Neji said and Naruto smirked as well.

"Not in so many words, and besides, the night isn't over yet." Naruto said and Neji shook his head.

"Where's Sasuke?" Neji asked. Naruto turned his eyes to Jirobo who was watching Naruto's conversation with Neji.

"He's up ahead with three others; all at least mid-chunnin level." Naruto told him, his eyes studying Jirobo. Neji activated his Byakugan and also studied Jirobo, as well as looked for the other three.

"I see them and... and Sasuke's in some barrel." Neji stated and Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, it happened just before they left. Those bastards drugged him and put him in some barrel. They kept tubby here to keep me company while they ran off." Naruto said, angering Jirobo to the point that he charged at the two Konoha genin. Both jumped away from him as he slammed his hands on the ground, shaking it and causing debris to jump into the air.

"You go ahead Naruto, go catch up to them." Neji said as he landed next to Naruto. Naruto looked at him for a second before shaking his head.

"I need you and your Byakugan to come with me, so they don't get me by surprise." Neji shook his head.

"It wouldn't matter if they get away." Neji insisted.

"It wouldn't matter if they blow me up by some trap." Naruto retorted.

"Its not gonna matter once I'm done with you two." Jirobo said as he grabbed both Naruto's and Neji's necks. Neji reacted quickly as he activated his Rotation, freeing himself. Naruto chuckled as he replaced himself with a log with an explosive note attached to it.

Jirobo quickly let go of Neji but failed to notice the new item taking Naruto's place and it exploded in his hand. He reared his hand back and cursed loudly.

"How about I just distract him with shadow clones long enough for Hinata's reinforcement to arrive?" Neji thought it over and nodded. Naruto smirked mischievously. "Time to go to work. **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted as he madea hand sign and the entire clearing was enveloped in smoke.

Jirobo activated his first level curse seal as he waited for the smoke to clear. He was surprised to see more than twenty Narutos surrounding him.

"Damn it." He cursed as he ran into the crowd of Narutos.

"Come on, we can still catch up to them if we go now." Neji said, his Byakugan active. Naruto nodded and they left, both hoping to survive this event by the time this is over.

**[*.*.*.*]**

"He did what?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief.

"He ran off and I need your help." Hinata said. "And yours too, Choji." Choji nodded and Shikamaru looked at the ground.

"You know this is going to be troublesome, right?" Shikamaru said and Hinata nodded. "Fine, let's get this over with." Shikamaru said.

"Not without me, you guys won't." Lee jumped down from somewhere and surprised Hinata.

"Oh Lee, you scared me." Hinata said and Lee chuckled as he continued to crouch from his landing.

"So, you wanna come do you?" Shikamaru asked and Lee nodded. "I guess the more we have, the better. We better go now, we're wasting time."

***.*.Later.*.***

"What's that?" Shikamaru asked as he heard grunting and punches landing on flesh.

"Sounds like a fight!" Lee answered energetically.

"Come on." Hinata said as she and the others moved closer. They were surprised to see only three Narutos fighting a stranger.

"Naruto-kun?" Jirobo and the three Narutos stopped their fighting to look at Hinata who was standing on the edge of the clearing with Shikamaru, Choji and Lee.

"More roaches?" Jirobo taunted. "No, not roaches, more like meals."

"Like hell they are!" One of the Narutos shouted as he snuck up behind Jirobo and almost cut his head off his shoulders only for Jirobo to duck, turn, grab the Naruto by his neck and slam him into the ground.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted and was about to go help him when Shikamaru stopped her. When she looked at him, he smirked.

"Its ok, they're all clones." He insisted. Hinata nodded after slight hesitation. "By my guess, Naruto must've kept this guy busy by using his clones to attack him." Shikamaru said.

"Then, where'd he go?" Choji asked and Shikamaru closed his eyes.

"He must've went ahead to catch up to Sasuke." Hinata said.

"Maybe. If that's the case then we should get moving." Shikamaru said.

"You punks aren't going anywhere." Jirobo said as he squeezed the last clone out of existence.

"Damn, we need to stall him." Shikamaru stated. Choji looked at his hands before looking up at Jirobo.

"You guys go ahead, I can handle this guy." Choji said.

"What? Are you insane?" Lee asked.

"You guys need to catch up to Naruto and Sasuke, Shikamaru said so himself. I can stay behind and finish dealing with this guy." Choji said.

"You're definitely insane of you think I'm leavig you behind." Shikamaru told him.

"I can barely see them now." Hinata stated as she deactivated her Byakugan. Shikamaru cursed under his breath as he tried to come up with a plan without having to leave Choji behind. JIrobo, now impatient, charged at them. Choji clenched his fists before running to meet Jirobo in the middle.

"GO! NOW! **Partial Expansion Jutsu!**" Choji shouted and afterwards, his fist grew by ten fold and he cocked his right arm back. Jirobo was taken aback for only a second but it was long enough for Choji to get the upper hand and land a solid punch on Jirobo's face. He flew across the clearing and landed twenty feet away from Choji.

After a moment of hesitation, Shikamaru nodded.

"You better stay alive, no heroics, got it?" Shikamaru asked and Choji just looked at him with a smile before saluting at him. He turned his attention back to Jirobo and waited for him to make the next move.

"Let's go." Lee said as he went ahead. Hinata looked back at Shikamaru and put a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"He'll be ok." Hinata said and a moment later, Shikamaru nodded and they both went ahead. Choji watched them go and sighed.

_'I can already tell this won't be easy; I'm going to have to give this my all. Sorry Shikamaru.'_

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto made quick handsigns as Neji used his Rotation to blocked a gigantic, running Doki. After he stopped rotating, the giant Doki reared its left arm back and then sent it down to kill Neji.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted, sending a fireball straight into the Doki's face. It reared its head back and took steps back. Neji reacted quickly as he tapped the Doki's left leg multiple times before jumping away. The Doki dropped down to one knee and growled.

"You piece of shit!" Tayuya yelled as she sent another Doki to cover the fallen Doki. Unlike the first one, this one looked like he'd escaped from a hospital for the mentally impaired, bandages covering everything above his waist, even his face. His head was upsided down but that didn't stop a smile from appearing on its lips.

"He's at it again." Neji said and Naruto sighed as he took out both of his swords and surrounded it in a blanket of Kyuubi's chakra. Out of nowhere, two arrows headed straight for Neji but before it could hit, Naruto used his swords to cut the arrows in half, rendering them useless.

"He's starting to get annoying." Naruto said and Neji nodded.

"We need to get rid of him." Neji added.

Kidomaru watched his preys mumble to each other from a safe distance. He chuckled when he noticed Naruto getting angry. He's muslces became tense and his movements also became a bit sloppier.

"Calm down Naruto, this is exactly what he wants." Naruto took in a deep breath as Neji's Byakugan eyes scanned the area. "Naruto, I have a plan. Just follow my lead."

Neji sprang into action as he ran at straight for Tayuya. She smirked as she played a melody with her flute.

"Idiot." Kidomaru whispered to himself as he shot multiple arrows at Neji, each connected by a long spider string. Naruto cursed as he conitnued to pump Kyuubi's chakra into his swords and deflected the arrows. In the corner of his eye, Naruto saw all three Doki preparing to end Neji before he reached their master and summoner.

Neji smirked as he didn't bat an eye.

"**Shadow Possession Jutsu!**" All three Doki froze in there place as Neji zipped past them and appeared only inches away from a shocked Tayuya.

"You're in my field of divination." Tayuya's eyes widened as Neji prepared to close Tayuya's chakra points. He stopped and jumped back before he was enveloped by what appeared to be a hundred spiders.

"That was close." Neji commented. Naruto nodded and saw Shikamaru, Lee and Hinata land next to him.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. "What're you doing here?" Hinata smiled at him.

"I'm happy to see you too, Naruto-kun." She said and he shook his head with a smile.

"I'm guessing that you're here to fight, aren't you?" Hinata nodded. "Not gonna leave?" She shook her head. "Figures." Naruto looked up at Tayuya who was surrounded by the army of spiders.

"Kidomaru you asshole, I don't need your help." Tayuya yelled and a chuckle was heard in reponse.

"Where's Kiba?" Hinata asked and Naruto scoffed.

"Dog breath wanted to play hero by thowing himself, along with one of the lackies, over some cliff. Don't worry, he'll be fine; he's too stubborn to die." Naruto said. Hinata sighed.

"Someone needs to stay behind." Neji said and everyone looked at him. "Two, actually, maybe three." Everyone looked at each other.

"I'll stay." Shikamaru said.

"I will as well." Neji volunteered.

"Me too." Naruto looked at Hinata like she was insane.

"Like hell you will!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto-kun."

"Hinata's right, Naruto. Its better if she stays here." Naruto now looked at Neji as if he'd gone insane. Neji moved closer to Naruto and whispered: "We're dealing with the underlings of Orochimaru here and out there, further ahead, waits a foe stronger than all four of the Sound Four." Naruto growled but nodded nonetheless.

"Now go." Neji said and Naruto moved in front of Hinata.

"Be safe; come back alive." Naruto said and Hinata laughed.

"I was about to tell you the same thing," Naruto smiled before kissing Hinata hastily.

"I'lll come back, I promise." Hinata nodded in agreement and Naruto and Lee nodded to each other before disappearing.

"Come back, you dickheads!" Tayuya shouted as she sent her Dokis to retrieve Naruto and Lee.

"Not so fast!" Neji retorted as he jumped in front of the Dokis. "**Rotation!**" A barrier of chakra appeared around Neji as he expelled chakra out of his chakra points and spun.

Two Dokis were blasted back as they lost their balance from the unexpected attack. The third was able to jump over Neji and successfully land behind him. However, before it was able to go after Naruto and Lee, Hinata appeared in its way, falling into the Gentle Fist stance.

The insane asylum escapee Doki roared at Hinata as it charged. Hinata closed her eyes and started to move her hands across her torso at different angles. Her arms started to pick up speed while simultaneously pumping a constant stream of chakra from her palms, creating sharp chakra blades. The Doki connected and the continuous chakra blades collided against it before sending it back, crashing into the other Doki.

After her technique ended, Hinata kept her eyes closed, her right leg in front of her left and her arms coming to a complete stop to her sides. She opened her eyes and veins appeared beside them.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto and Lee ran through the forest, eager to catch up to Sasuke and the guy who was holding him. With them was a tracking summoning tiger that Naruto summoned. Its red-orange fur shimmered from the moonlight that was able to get through various opening the tree's leaves provided.

"Heat, you sure we're going the right way?" Naruto asked.

"**I'm sure.**" Heat replied as he led Naruto and Lee through an odd trail. Heat suddenly stopped and his brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked and Heat sniffed the air before growling.

"**The air's tainted.**" He said and Naruto and Lee looked at each other before nodding.

"That's probably Sasuke." Lee guessed and Naruto nodded.

"No doubt, come on."

"**My job is done here; it'll be risky for me to follow after you.**" Naruto nodded, Heat was a tracker, not a fighter and he'd only be a burden.

"Thanks, tell Akio to be ready at a moments notice; I might need him." Heat nodded before returning to his world. Naruto and Lee ran off through the woods and into a huge clearing. Even though their sense weren't as good compared to Heat's, they could suddenly feel the tainted air he was talking about. It felt like they were standing in the middle of the Snow Country with nothing more than their headbands and shoes.

"You feel it too?" Lee asked and Naruto nodded.

"So you found me, how unfortunate for you two." A cold, stoic voice said as a silhouette appeared across the clearing. Next to the silhouette was a barrel.

"You jerk." Naruto growled. The silhouette looked down at the barrel as it started to shake.

"Its about time." He spoke as the barrel exploded and was surrounded by purple smoke. When it disppeared, Naruto saw Sasuke's silhouette standing.

"Sasuke, did your little beauty sleep help you snap out of it or do I still need to beat it out of you?" Naruto shouted. Sasuke turned his head before scoffing with a smile and running off. Naruto cursed under his breath.

"Go Naruto, I'm pretty sure I can handle this guy." Naruto looked at Lee for a moment before smirking.

"No heroics." Naruto stated.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm a student of Gai-sensei." Lee said, looking at his new foe. "Of course I'm going to be heroic." Naruto shook his head with a smile.

"Whatever, you better come back alive." Naruto ran across the clearing without hearing Lee's response and stopped when the silhouette came out of the shadows and revealed a sickly looking teen with white hair.

"Get out of my way!" Naruto took out and swung his sword down only to be dodged by Kimimaru. However, Kimimaru wasn't expecting the sword to release chakra upon impact with the ground, sending debris up. He covered his face as he jumped away, giving Naruto an opportunity to run past him and after Sasuke.

Kimimaru snarled in anger but before he could stop Naruto, Lee appeared.

"**Leaf Hurricane!**" Kimimaru ducked and moved away from Lee as he landed.

"I'm you opponent now."

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto followed after Sasuke, able to track him through the evil aura he gave off. It was more of an instinct feeling than anything else. His eyes narrowed as he quickened his pace and stopped short when he saw Sasuke standing on the head of the infamous Madara Uchiha statue. He walked up to the head of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju and watched as Sasuke slowly turned.

"You're a dobe for following me." Sasuke said and Naruto smirked.

"You're a teme for making me follow you." Naruto's smirk was wiped off his face as he continued. "You know I can't let you leave, not this way." Sasuke chuckled as he covered his left eye, hiding the yellow pupil and black sclera.

"Ah yes, that's right, we never did finish our fight." Naruto growled.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it!" Naruto shouted and Sasuke frowned.

"A dobe like you has no right to talk to me like that. I am an Uchiha, I do as I please." Sasuke stated. "And as an Uchiha, that means I'm naturally better than you in every way imaginable." He continued with a bit of hysteria.

"When it comes down bloodline, i can't argue with you." Naruto said as he bowed his head. "However, between you and me, in this fight, bloodline means nothing. I will bring you down Sasuke, not matter which family you beling to." Naruto said as he took out one of his swords.

"We'll see about that, dobe." Sasuke said. Naruto's eyes narrowed before he jumped into the air. Sasuke imitated his movement and both were now in midair, Naruto with his sword and Sasuke with a kunai.

"Teme!"

"Dobe!"

Unknown to the two, a snake slithered through the forest, watching the many fights it passed without interest. A sly smile crept onto its face as it searched for its prey.

Soon enough, the snake will spring at the most opportune moment.

* * *

**Hope you liked it...**

**I'm sorry once again for taking so long to update.. I promise I'll try harder to update this story... Also my other stories but that's for another time...**

**Alright, now, to explain a few things... Obviously, some fights, if not all, were kept the same except now hinata's involved... Will she make a difference?**

**I might or might not go into details with the fights... It all depends on my mood and response in reviews... I guess I could but if it seems not too important than I'll just skip to the end of them...**

**With that being said, Sasuke's and Naruto's fight will be... Epic, that's a good word...**

**I'm not sure what else I can add but if you have any questions, then don't hesitate to contact me...**

**Next Chapter: Hear me now...**

**Till next time...**

**Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...**


	35. Hear Me Now

**YO, whats up...**

**Sorry, I have no time to talk...**

**Too tired...**

**Hope you enjoy and I promise to go over this soon...**

**Chapter 35: Hear Me Now...**

**I don't own Naruto...**

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* * *

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Naruto slashed down at Sasuke in a swift motion. Sasuke blocked it with his kunai and grabbed his right arm with his free hand. Reacting immediately, Naruto drive his right foot into Sasuke's stomach and when Sasuke doubled over, Naruto brought his left foot over Sasuke's head and slammed it down on his head.

Sasuke flew down into the water below them, causing water to spring up. Naruto used Sasuke's head as leverage to jump back into the First Hokage's head. He stared down at Sasuke who surfaced the water and stood, staring up at Naruto. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Naruto jump into the air and head straight for him. He prepared himself as Naruto positioned his sword over his head and brought it down when he was only five feet away from Sasuke.

Sasuke side stepped him and kicked him in the face. Naruto spun to his left and fell into the water. Sasuke fell into his battle stance as Naruto emerged and stood on top of the water. Naruto shook his head to remove the excess water in his head and then glared at Sasuke.

They stared at each other in mutual silence, not even the birds flying over them made a sound; nothing but the sound of the waterfall was heard. The quiet of the overhead birds, and of the place, was eerie and disturbed Naruto; not because he believed that he had become deaf or anything but because this sounded too much like the brief but deep stillness that often settles upon the natural world in the wake of sudden violence. When a coyote catches a rabbit and snaps its neck or when a fox bites into a mouse and shakes it to death. The dying of the prey, even if nearly inaudible, brings a hush into the immediate area.

Right now, Naruto knew Sasuke would be the rabbit and he would be the coyote; the mouse to his fox.

"Mother Nature is beautiful and generous." Naruto finally stated, throwing off Sasuke. "However, she is also bloodthirsty." He continued.

"The never-ending killing in which she presides over is never seen in pictures or calendars. It's not the quality well liked by children and people." Naruto mused. "Have you noticed whenever she gets in this mood, everything becomes quiet and eerie? Even the animals don't make a sound."

"What are you blabbering on about, dobe?" Sasuke asked and Naruto smirked as his stance relaxed and he looked up at the sky where dark, ominous clouds started to gather.

"I used to think it was some sort of instinct they had that told them to be quiet and witness Mother Nature's murderous personality in silence." Naruto told him as he spread his arms out. "I know better now, though. They remain silent not because of instinct but because they hope to avoid becoming the next object of her attention."

"Where are you going with this dobe?" Sasuke asked again and Naruto smirked as he took out his second sword from its sheath.

"Can't you tell? Can't you hear it?" Naruto asked and Sasuke looked around. Noticing that the birds refused to let a sound escape their beaks as some landed on nearby trees or disappeared over them. "The silence, the absolute silence that comes before the kill; this is what I'm talking about. Mother Nature's children are here to witness her at her cruelest. They're here to see me end the life of a treacherous Uchiha." Naruto said with a dead serious tone as he fell back into his fighting stance.

"That's not going to happen." Sasuke said with a smirk. "You're the one that's going to fall here."

"I have too much at stake to die now; I don't think so." Naruto retorted.

"Tch, we'll see dobe. Now let's stop talking and start fighting." Sasuke charged and Naruto waited for him to get in his range. Naruto bent backwards as Sasuke swung his kunai in a horizontal swipe. He back flipped away from Sasuke but stopped short when Sasuke threw his kunai and it pierced his heart. Naruto fell and before the water could swallow him, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke blinked as three geysers of water burst into the sky and three Narutos appeared from the water.

Surrounding the Uchiha, two Narutos charged at him with their swords in each hand. Sasuke blinked once more as he activated his Sharingan eyes. He saw one Naruto thrust his sword forward, another attempt to slash Sasuke's head off and the last was standing back to watch the outcome while his swords remained in their sheath.

Sasuke jumped over the Naruto who was about to slash his head off and sent his right knee crashing into its skull and dispelled it. The second Naruto thrust his swords forward and Sasuke maneuvered around them to jumped up and drop kick Naruto in the face, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

The Naruto in the back nodded his head as all the information from his clones came back to him. He saw Sasuke run towards him and he prepared himself as he smirked.

Before Sasuke saw him smile however, a fourth Naruto appeared from the water below Sasuke and landed an uppercut squarely in his chin. He flew into the air and the Naruto standing back ran up to the clone and placed a foot on his left shoulder. He pushed himself off his clone and headed for Sasuke who was disoriented from the hit.

He grabbed Sasuke's midsection while upside down, latching onto his back with his head on the left side of Sasuke's hip and his legs wrapped around Sasuke's head. Naruto then flips them over twice before finally driving Sasuke's head into the water while in the seated position.

"**Naruto Uzumaki Devastation!**" Naruto shouted as jumped up and remained above the water while he waited for Sasuke to recover. He dispersed as the original carefully watched the spot Sasuke was sent through.

He saw a red light and air bubbles appear under him and his eyes widened when a giant fireball engulfed him.

Sasuke climbed out of the water as he watched his fire started to die down a little. He had a smirk of victory as he saw the fire get small but it was wiped off when a large amount of chakra was concentrated in the middle of his flames. It imploded and spread outward, throwing Sasuke off balance from the sudden shockwave. A bright light appeared and temporarily blinded Sasuke and when he regained his sight, he was shocked by what he saw.

Naruto appeared without a burn mark or anything. His mask was burned to a crisp and he could clearly see his face, whiskers and all. His black sleeveless muscle shirt remained intact and he was wearing black shorts.

"I highly doubt a dobe like you could afford those fancy clothes I saw you in earlier." Sasuke taunted with a smirk. "So whose was it?" He asked and Naruto glared at him, refusing to answer. Without a word, Naruto ran at Sasuke and threw a straight forward punch to Sasuke's face.

Sasuke ducked and sent his own punch to Naruto's head. Naruto caught it with his left hand and jumped back while making a ram sign.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Three more Narutos appeared and stood beside the original. Without a spoken command, a clone ran straight for Sasuke. With his Sharingan still active, Sasuke saw Naruto spin on his heels and have his back turn to him and then doing a back flip. Sasuke jumped back just before the clone kicked Sasuke behind his head. With him still recovering from his attack, the clone was defenseless when Sasuke drove his foot into the back of the clone's head.

He was sent forward and stopped in front of the other Narutos before disappearing.

Looking at his clones, Naruto nodded his head and the three ran towards Sasuke. Sasuke charged as well and tried to swipe one Naruto with a kunai he took out from his pouch. The Naruto side stepped the swipe and kicked Sasuke in his stomach. Sasuke, his momentum keeping him going, ran up to a second Naruto and before he could react, the Naruto in front of him brought his right elbow down on Sasuke's head.

Sasuke's face hit the water under him but before he could sink, a third Naruto slid toward him and kicked Sasuke in his solar plex and making him glided over the water about two meters away from the Narutos.

When Sasuke recovered, he sprinted to the middle of the three Narutos and elbowed the middle in the face. He reeled his left leg back before jumping and quickly disposing of the Naruto on the right with a swift and hard kick to his neck. It disappeared in a puff and Sasuke landed on his feet. The last Naruto ran at him and threw a punch at his face. Sasuke parried it off with his left arm and then grabbed it and threw the clone to the other Naruto.

When they hit each other, they both disappeared, confusing Sasuke for a moment before realizing that he was fighting Naruto's clones.

More Naruto burst out of the water and Sasuke growled.

"Coward! Sending your clones to do your dirty work." Sasuke stated as he dodged, blocked or parried the clones' advances. He backhanded a clone with a twist of his body before grabbing onto the shoulder of another clone to shoot himself into the sky, over the many clones. With a quick progression of hand signs, Sasuke placed his hand over his mouth and sucked in a deep breath.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!**" He summoned a giant ball of fire from his mouth and sent it to the Narutos under him. Many covered his faces and head with their arms but it proved futile when the extra heat from the fireball caused them all to explode. Only one Naruto remained standing, unmarked and smirking.

Sasuke was once again surprised by this but his surprise didn't last as long as the first one. This was enough time for Naruto as he jumped up to meet Sasuke in the sky and smash his face in with a devastating foot to the face.

Sasuke flew down but righted himself in time to land on his feet. He grabbed his face in pain before looking up nad moving back just as Naruto tried to ax kick him from above. When he landed, Naruto and Sasuke began trading punches and kicks once again.

Naruto saw that Sasuke was beginning to tire with every breath he took. Sweat travelled down his brow and his red eyes were starting to fade a little.

Naruto was distracted by this, long enough so Sasuke was able to land a punch on Naruto's face. Naruto retaliated quickly as he punched Sasuke back. Sasuke grabbed the back of Naruto's head and forced it down while simultaneously raising his knee, making it smash against Naruto's nose. Naruto reeled his head back before grabbing Sasuke by the back of his head with both hands and moving it forward while Naruto brought his head back up and headbutted Sasuke directly in his forehead.

Sasuke couldn't recover too quickly from this hit as he took steps back, away from Naruto. He felt his blood travel down his brow and his cheeks and this angered him.

Naruto also noticed that he busted his forehead open but it quickly healed thanks to the Kyūbi's influence over him. He looked back up and saw Sasuke start to shiver with anger. He narrowed his eyes when he saw black fire-like tattoos start to cover his entire body. Naruto blinked and now Sasuke was nowhere in sight. Before he could survey his surroundings, Sasuke appeared behind him and kicked Naruto behind his left leg. Naruto fell to his left knee and hissed in pain.

He wasn't done as Sasuke punched Naruto behind his head, forcing him to his hands and knees. Sasuke jumped and now over Naruto's head, came down and shoved the soles of his shoes to the back of Naruto's head, forcing him into the water.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke as he slowly sunk deeper into the water.

'_So you wanna make this more difficult for me Sasuke? Fine…'_

***.*.*.***

In the middle of the forest, away from the dangers of the fights, the Scroll of Sealing rested safely under the protection of a tall tree. Under the tree's shadow, the scroll was not under the moon's luminescent silver light, making it hard to see.

Slowly approaching the scroll, a sleek silhouette crouched in front of the scroll. It had the form of a young woman, around the age of thirteen. She smiled as she picked up the scroll and looked up at the moon.

The young woman's amber eyes shined from the light coming off of the moon and her sharp fangs showed as she smiled wider. She brushed her blazing red hair out of her face and looked at the scroll. With a sway of her hands, the scroll disappeared. Walking in a random direction, the girl followed her instincts to guide her to her master and lady. Hopefully, with the Scroll of Sealing, she will make her master happy and put at least a part of his worries at ease.

***.***

On her way to her master, the redheaded woman paused to blink at the unconscious form of a young man. He had an athletic body with brown, spiky hair. He had gauze wrapped around his arms and a green jacket around his torso. He had other articles of clothing but the paleness of his face and his shallow breathing worried the young woman. She walked up to the sleeping teen and bent down in front of him.

She smiled as she placed a gentle hand over the teen's heart and it started to glow a light pinkish color as it was surrounded by pink fire. The fire transferred from her hand to the teen's chest and disappeared. His shallow breathing became deeper and the young woman smiled happily at seeing the color in his face slowly return.

She stood up again and walked deeper into the forest, hoping to run into her master and friend.

Choji slowly opened his eyes as his consciousness started to return to him. He looked around and saw no one in sight. He was alone and still breathing.

He was still too tired to move his arms or legs but he had a feeling he wasn't in mortal danger. He wondered why as he remembered eating the red Chili Pill, knowing the after-effects it has. Now, he saw that his body was only exhausted from his fight and he just wanted to rest. He found that once again, consciousness was slipping through his grasp and he just wanted to sleep.

Deciding to think about this miracle later, Choji fell asleep under the moon's vigilant light.

***.*.*.***

Neji back flipped away from a shower of Kidomaru's kunai that almost ended his life as Hinata also dodged his kunai.

Surrounded by swirls of black lines on his skin, Kidomaru watched his prey dodge his advances with slight ease. He grunted as he used his two upper arms to make hand signs while his lower arms made a web so he could then slam his right palm on top of it and complete the summoning.

A giant spider, easily bigger than any man ever born into the world, appeared from a puff of smoke and Kidomaru appeared over it with a victorious smirk. From out its rear, the giant spider spat out a giant web that, when ripped open, summoned many of the giant spider's followers. They fell from their place high above the two Hyūga and headed straight for them.

"Stand back Hinata-sama, I'll handle this." Hinata was about to argue when Neji pushed her back and started to rotate quickly. "**Rotation!**" The spiders collided against Neji's chakra barrier but did not pass it, bouncing off it. The web however, stayed on it and started to slow its rotation.

'_Damn, I'm slowing down. This is not good.'_ Neji thought as he came to a stop. Kidomaru snapped his eyes open as he threw another kunai at Neji's blind spot. Neji saw it as he continued to spin from his technique's momentum and saw it heading for him. Summoning his chakra to his cheek, he was able to prevent it from entering his skull. It bounced off and stuck into the ground near Hinata. She gasped as he watched more spiders appear from their mother's cocoon.

They rained over Neji as he fell into the Gentle Fist and closed his eyes. He opened them just as the spiders were about to attack him and everything turned black and white for him with the exception of the green field of divination under Neji.

"**Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!**" Neji's speed increased as he started to swat away the spiders with his technique. Hinata watched in awe as she saw her cousin force back many of the spiders falling on him however, she knew it wouldn't last and eventually, the technique would end.

Neji panted as his technique ended but the spiders continued to fall. Taking in a breath, he returned to his Gentle Fist stance before changing it. Hinata gasped at realizing what he was doing while Kidomaru wondered why his stance shifted.

"**Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!**" Hinata could not believe that her cousin was able to do such a technique. Still, she saw that even with this technique, he wouldn't be able to finish off all the spiders… at least, not alone.

Neji kicked away another spider as he ducked and blasted another with his chakra covered fingertips. His technique soon ended once more and he growled as he tried the Rotation technique but failed when he saw the amount of spider webs surrounding him. He ducked as three kunai tried to pierce him but one left a cut on the side of his right arm. Kidomaru smirked as he finally found Neji's blind spot.

Mire spiders fell and he glowered at them.

"Move nii-san!" Hinata said as she appeared behind him and stopped another of Kidomaru's handmade kunai from hitting her cousin. She fell into her family's fighting stance and Neji matched her movements.

"**Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!**" They both shouted as they moved as one, defeating many of the spiders surrounding them. Kidomaru scowled at this as he plucked a spider web attached to his right index finger. His summoned registered the command and released its hold on its web and started to head for Hinata and Neji. They both looked up at the end of their technique and Hianta smiled.

This time, she pushed Neji out of the way and closed her eyes.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji shouted in panic but Hinata ignored him.

'_It's still not complete but it'll have to do.' _Hinata thought as she started to move her hands around her while sending out a small beam of chakra from the center of her palms. Her movements became faster as more of her chakra was being pumped out. A giant, net-like barrier of chakra surrounded Hinata and when the summoning touched it, it started to struggle with the barrier before it was blasted off it. Seeing an opportunity present itself to her, Hinata jumped up to the summoning.

"**Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!**" She hit the summoning in its underbelly and soon enough, the spider exploded, leaving behind its remaining spider web.

Neji was shocked to see his cousin use a technique never before seen or performed by any Hyūga.

'_Has Hinata-sama created a new technique?'_ He mused to himself as Hinata landed gracefully on the ground. She looked up at Neji, panting and smiling. After recovering from his shock, Neji smiled as well.

"Player one: game over." In a flash, several kunai headed straight for Hinata. Both Hyūgas' eyes widened as each kunai thrown at Hinata hit their mark. Hinata's eyes became glassy as the pain she felt enveloped her to the point that she lost consciousness.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji ran over to her but stopped when a kunai appeared from nowhere and hit his leg. He tripped and fell to his knees just a meter away from Hinata.

Kidomaur smirked as his black lined tattoos started to shift and change him into his second cursed mark form. He spat out a giant bow and arrow and prepped himself to end this so called 'game'.

"**Spider War Bow: Terrible Split. **Ninja Arrow at 100%." He said to himself as he aimed his arrow at his prey. "Damage… at maximum." He shot the arrow and it headed straight for Hinata. Neji looked up and saw it coming and at the last second, he picked Hinata up and moved her out of harm's way.

However, he did not see a kunai fly through the air and pierce his back. He grunted as he dropped Hinata on the ground and he fell to his knees.

"Damn." Neji cursed as he struggled to stand.

"Need some help?" Neji was surprised to see a young girl in front of him without him noticing her. Her amber eyes shined with happiness as her long red hair framed her face. Her creamy skin glowed from the moon's light and her red kimono hugged her curvy body. Neji couldn't help but blush as her deep amber eyes stared into his. He shook off his shock. He really had no choice but to trust this girl with his cousin; at least she wouldn't be in Kidomaru's line of attacks.

"Take her away from here." Neji said and she nodded before picking up Hinata and disappearing into the woods. "Good… now she's safe."

"But you're not." A giant arrow passed by Neji's face, scratching the side of his head and removing his forehead protector. It flew across the forest and landed a few feet away. Neji fell on his face as he cursed his lack of awareness to his surroundings. Suddenly, he realized something. He glowered as he slowly stood and struggled to remain standing.

From fifty meters away, Kidomaru prepared another arrow and aimed it at the still Neji. He let the arrow go and smirked when his arrow caused dust to rise from the ground, thinking he had hit Neji. It was removed from his lips however when Neji was still standing, having moved slightly to the right.

"Just as I thought…" He panted. "He knows about the Hyūga's blindspot." Neji mused in anger. He coughed up blood because of the wound he gained from the arrow passing through his left shoulder. He cursed again as he started to walk forward. He soon began to sprint away from Kidomaru.

"Player two: game over. No matter where you go, my arrow will still find its mark." Kidomaru said with a smirk as he spit out another arrow, this time with a long string of a spider's web attached to it. He aimed it to the spot under Neji's first vertebrae, the Hyūga's blindspot. He shot it and Neji, with his chakra surrounding him, was able to sense the disruption in the chakra around him and was able to jujmped behind a tree before the arrow could kill him.

'_That was too close.'_ Neji thought as he fell to his hands and knees. Kidomaru only chuckled.

"It's useless to resist. It'll all be over soon." Kidomaru's voice echoed through the entire forest and Neji clenched his fist.

'_Strong… He's far stronger than me... I'm almost out of chakra…'_ Neji panted as his vision began to blur. _'I doubt that I'll be able to avoid the next attack.'_ Neji stared at his forehead protector just a few feet away form him. His blood covered a portion of it while the symbol of his village shined bright from the moon's light.

'_Is this it?'_

Kidomaru once again spat out another arrow, this time, the tip had a swirl to it so it would increase the arrow's velocity.

'_No! I refuse to give up. Naruto's counting on me and I won't let him down. Not him, not Hinata-sama, not the Hyūga clan, not Konoha, not anyone!'_ Neji smiled as his back was turned to Kidomaru and he remained perfectly still.

"Is he giving up?" Kidomaru asked himself. "I can't take my chances." He continued as he shot the arrow. It kicked up dust as it raced past many trees. Neji turned at the last second and instead of the arrow hitting his heart, it hit the lower right side of his torso. The momentum of the arrow caused him to fly backwards until his back hit a tree. Because there was a spider web attached to the butt of the arrow, Neji was attached to the tree.

His head was bowed forward and pumped some chakra into his right hand as it rose and held the spider web attached to the arrow.

'_This is my chance.'_ He thought as his chakra quickly travelled up the web and into Kidomaru's mouth.

Kidomaru was shocked at this as his body suddenly felt pain.

"What?" Many of his internal organs now damaged, Kidomaru fell off his branch and headed for the unforgiving Earth. He cut off the string attached to his mouth and realized he could still move his body even with the damage done.

Neji searched deep inside for the energy he need as he cut the string attached to his lower abdomen and activated his Byakugan. Without falling, Neji ran after Kidomaru who was still falling and recovering.

'_I won't give up!'_ Neji declared. _'Even if you are stronger than me! Even if my body refuses to move!' _Neji saw his target recover and slowly right himself with his webs, swing around many branches. _'I will not lose!'_

'_I made a mistake.'_ Kidomaru thought to himself, oblivious to the Hyūga running towards him. _'I won't make the same mistake again.'_

His eyes widened when Neji appeared in front of him.

"This is it!" Neji hit Kidomaru in the face multiple times with his left and right index and middle finger. Kidomaru grunted with each hit. With a final spin, Neji pumped the last of his chakra to his left hand and struck Kidomaru in his left temple.

Kidomaru was sent spinning until he lost his momentum and came to a halt on his back. Neji spun next to him but he was able to stay on his feet long enough to stop in front of Kidomaru before falling to his left knee. Kidomaru returned to his normal form as he stared at Neji in awe.

"H-How?" H asked and Neji turned to look at him.

"I knew that you'd aim at my blindspot since you knew where it was. So It wasn't hard to release my chakra into that are only. At the last second, I was able avoid a fatal hit." Kidomaru chuckled mirthlessly.

"So you took the hit on purpose, even though it wa a risky move." He stared into Neji's cold, tired silver eyes. "Why would you go to such lengths?"

"You have been one of the strongest opponents I've faced in a long time." Neji started to say. "However, there is one person who's still the strongest I've ever faced. What he told me was this… 'Unlike me, you're not pathetic'." Kidomaru was barely able to sit up and smirk at Neji.

"It doesn't matter now though, you're going to die with me." Neji was able to reciprocate his smirk as he took out his forehead protector out of his pocket.

"I'm not dying that easily." Neji told him and Kidomaru's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell on his back. Neji fell to his knees before falling on his face.

"My part has been completed… It's up to you guys now…"

Minutes after Neji lost consciousness, the red haired teen returned with Hinata on her shoulder.

"Master was right… you have changed." The teen said as she crouched in front of Neji and placed a hand covered in pink fire on his chest and wounds.

"This won't completely heal you but at least it's better than your current condition." After she finished, she looked at Kidomaru and smirked. "Fool…"

She turned her eyes to Hinata and smiled.

"At least you're alright now, milady." The teen said as she walked past Neji and Kidomaru, continuing forward to find her Master.

*.*.*.*

Naruto punched Sasuke with both his fist while Sasuke had his arms up, using his forearms to protect his face. Naruto sent a right, left, right and another left hook before he raised his knee and drove it into Sasuke's midsection, driving the oxygen away from his lungs. Naruto jumped up and clasped both hands together over his head before bringing it down on Sasuke's back. Sasuke fell to his knees but didn't sink into the water.

Naruto jumped back, away from Sasuke as a dark, purple aura appeared around him.

"How the mighty have fallen." Naruto commented sarcastically as he watched Sasuke slowly stand with his body completely engulfed with black, flame-like tattoos and the dark aura glued to his skin.

"You know nothing about me!" Sasuke roared as he ran towards Naruto with a crazed glint in his eyes and new found speed. Caught off guard by the sudden quickness in Sasuke's step, Naruto left his body unprotected as Sasuke closed in and let out a quick sequence of jabs. The air in Naruto's lungs was forced out as each punch Sasuke threw at him was stronger and faster than before.

A sadistic grin appeared on Sasuke's lips when he saw pain and surprise shroud Naruto's face. Finishing up his combination of jabs, Sasuke spun and delivered a roundhouse kick to Naruto's chin.

The momentum given to him by Sasuke's foot sent Naruto spiraling back through the air with his back hitting the bordering rocks. He looked up after recovering from the hit and saw Sasuke heading for him again. He pushed himself off the rock behind him and appeared before Sasuke.

They met in a series of punches, kicks, blocks and dodges until Naruto gained the advantage with a nicely timed knee to Sasuke's chin.

Ssasuke flew back but caught himself before his back hit the rocks. Naruto jumped high into the sky with a back flip and landed a considerable distance away from Sasuke.

Frustrated that he still doesn't have the upper hand on a low class shinobi like Naruto, Sasuke climbed up the bordering rocks and at the peak of his climb, he stopped and fastened his feet to the rocks with his chakra. He made some hand signs before grabbing his left wrist with his right hand and gathering up his chakra to surround his left hand with chakra powered electricity.

Naruto shook his head in disappointment while he summoned his chakra to his right hand, spinning it in random directions and summoning the Resengan.

Satisfied with his Chidori, Sasuke sped down the flanking rocks and then towards Naruto.

Not one to be outdone, Naruto charged towards Sasuke and just feet away from each other, they both threw their attacks forward and they collided. The Rasengan and Chidori struggled to dominate each other as Naruto and Sasuke glared and grunted in effort to win.

A set of blue eyes, fueled by the Will of Fire, his righteousness passed down from his father and his stubbornness given to him by his mother, locked on to onyx eyes, powered by anguish of losing his family, the hatred influenced by his homicidal bother, and insanity provided by Orochimaru's curse mark.

"I won't lose to you!" Naruto shouted as his right hand grasped Sasuke's left. Ignoring the lightning surrounding Sasuke's hand, Naruto cocked his left fist back and released it, punching Sasuke's face. He staggered back and held his face.

"Tch, dobe." Naruto smirked at him as he exercised his right hand. "You know this is just getting started." Sasuke said and Naruto nodded his head.

"Want to call a timeout?" Naruto asked and Sasuke growled angrily. "Not for me, I'm fine; you, however, look winded." Naruto mocked. Sasuke reached into his pockets and released a quantity of kunai and shuriken.

"Don't make me laugh, dobe!" Naruto dodged all the kunai and shuriken but his eyes widened when he noticed each shuriken and kunai was attached to ninja wire. Sasuke smirked as he pulled back the shuriken and kunai and they spun around Naruto until they tied him up. Some buried themselves into his skin and Naruto clenched his teeth.

With his hands and mouth holding the ninja wire, Sasuke was still able to make hand signs and blow out a powerful breath of fire. Using the ninja wire as a medium, the fire traveled towards Naruto and engulfed him. Not contempt with his current attack and wanting to make sure he trapped Naruto, Sasuke applied his lightning affinity to the ninja wire and sent it traveling down it.

Within the flames, Naruto shouted out in pain as the lightning started to fry his nervous system. To Sasuke, this was music to his ears and something he was going to continue hearing if he had something to say about it. He applied more chakra into the lightning and Naruto felt like he was going to explode.

Naruto grunted as he struggled to quiet down his cries. He tried to think of a way to get himself out of Sasuke's grip but nothing came to mind.

'_**You can't do this alone.'**_ Hearing the voice of his mentor, Naruto receded to his mindscape and stared up at his tenant.

"If I rely on you and your power too much, then I'll never get stronger by myself." Naruto told him and the Kyūbi raised his head in a sense of curiosity.

"**So you rather die here?"** The Kyūbi asked and Naruto opened his mouth to retort but none came to mind. **"Stupid kit."**

"So what? I come running to you whenever I can't handle something?" Naruto asked. The Kyūbi shifted in his place as he let out a tired grunt, as if he had performed a difficult and strenuous task.

"**You're so reckless and impatient. The Uchiha brat will eventually shutdown your nervous system. Be grateful I'm dealing with it as we speak." **

"Answer my question." Naruto said seriously.

"**You're still a kit, brat. As you grow older, you'll be able to handle more situations without my help."** The Kyūbi started. **"For now, alone, you're at your strongest without actually pushing your body's natural limitations. With my help, you'll be able to do far more than what you can normally do." **Naruto considered this and looked away.

"Feels like you're doing most of the work." Naruto stated.

"**Just think of it as me setting a higher standard of limitations that your body can momentarily meet." **Naruto raised an eyebrow while staring at the Kyūbi. **"You'll still do all the hard work."**

"Whatever." The Kyūbi's smile spread throughout his lips and his red chakra surrounded Naruto.

"**just remember, don't get lost in the bloodlust.**" Naruto nodded his head and disappeared with the Kyūbi's chakra.

Outside his mindscape, Sasuke was just about ready to end the fight when the wires loosened and fell to the ground. He strained his still underdeveloped Sharingan eyes to see into the flames and what he saw surprised him. Surrounded by red chakra, Naruto was huddled with his arms crossed over his head and his body shaking.

The level at which he was summoning his chakra scared Sasuke but before he could try anything, Naruto jumped up and stared down at Sasuke at his place in his sky.

Sasuke caught every detail of the airborne Naruto, including the longer nails, thicker whiskers marks, wilder hair and cold, deadly crimson eyes that were so deep that he felt like Narutoi's eyes were penetrating his soul. This Naruto was not the one he had been fighting for the last hour or so, this Naruto was much more hardcore, animalistic… almost demonic.

Naruto landed closer to Sasuke and the red chakra that once surrounded him disappeared like a drop of water over a flame. They stared at each other, neither blinking nor looking away.

"Y-You're a… a m-monster." Sasuke stuttered out and Naruto couldn't help but smirk.

"Something much more."

*.*.*.*

"Milady, wake up." Hinata clenched her eyes tightly before opening them slowly, seeing a red blur in front of her. When her vision cleared, she stared into the amber eyes of a girl around her age. She blinked at the closeness of the girl and blushed.

"A-Ano… you're a-a little too c-close." She stuttered out and the girl smiled.

"Milady, you're awake!" The girl cheered and Hinata raised an eyebrow.

"…uhm…" Hinata looked up and saw Shikamaru, Lee and Kiba looking at her. Neji and Choji lay unconscious near them with a few scratches on them but nothing too life threatening.

"So you're up, huh?" Kiba joked with a tired smile. Hinata sat up and looked around. It was still night and they were all sitting under the shade of a tree.

"What's going on?" Hinata asked and Shikamaru stared at the unknown teen.

"We're not completely sure. Lee, Kiba and I were saved by this girl just before we were about to be killed. I'm not sure about Neji or Choji since they've been unconscious since we got here." Shikamaru explained before his stare hardened. "So now the question is, who are you?" He asked and the teen giggled.

"No on special, just a friend." She said happily before she got a bit serious. "And as a friend, I'd advise you six to return to Konoha." The four conscious teens looked at the girl oddly.

"What you six have just experienced is only the beginning. As we speak, there are enemies coming here to, so to speak, 'put out the Will of Fire'." She told them in a tone that left no room for disbelief. After getting over his shock, Shikamaru spoke.

"So you want us to retreat? What about Naruto and Sasuke?" He asked and the girl shook her head.

"It's too late for the spoiled brat but rest assure, 'Naruto' will not be left to fend for himself. As for you six, I want you to return to Konoha and inform you Hokage of what I've just told you and request for back up. About four or five of your top shinobi would do." She said and Hinata staredat her incredulously.

"Why should we trust you?" Kiba asked and the girl looked at him.

"I… I'm not sure what I can say that'll convince you all. If you refuse to take my advice, 'Naruto' will die." Everyone was taken aback by this. The mysterious girl stood and walked away.

"Wait!" But before the girl could disappear in the sea of trees, she was stopped by Hinata. She sturned and faced Hinata. "I'm not leaving without Naruto." She said with determination and conviction. The girl's stare hardened.

"Milady, you said that as if you are serious." She said and Hinata nodded.

"I am." She retorted and the girl eased her stare and smiled.

"Fair enough." Hinata stood and stood beside the girl.

"Hinata… be careful out there." She heard Kiba say and without turning, she nodded before disappearing with the mysterious girl. After a few minutes of silence, the sound of Shikamaru grunting was heard as he stood.

"Come on, we still need to get Choji and Neji to the hospital and tell Lady Tsunade the troublesome news." Lee and Kiba nodded as they stood and each grabbed their comrade. "I'll cover you guys." Lee and Kiba nodded again as they set out to Konoha.

*.*.*.*

Sasuke panted as he kneeled in front of Naruto. In his feral form, Naruto was obviously the superior in this fight. However, Sasuke had an ace for such a circumstance.

He stood and staggered away from Naruto.

"Running away?" Naruto asked, making Sasuke stop and turn with a wicked smile on his face. He slowly raised his right hand and lifted his middle finger. Naruto growled and ran towards him a speed that Sasuke's Sharingan eye couldn't follow. Before he could move out of the way, Naruto drove his right fist into Sasuke's stomach and dragging him through the water and crashing into the bordering rocks. Debris and dust was sent into the air and shrouded Sasuke.

Naruto was kicked off by Sasuke and landed on all fours. He shook his head from the blow and looked up only to be shocked.

Sasuke walked out of the cloud of dust with a new look. His hair was darker and longer, his skin in a shade of dark grey and a black star on his nose. Naruto also noticed that his sclera changed from white to black and his Sharingan had all three tomoe.

"Come Naruto, your death awaits." Sasuke said with newfound energy. Naruto growled as he felt his anger rise.

"So eager to finish the fight, huh Sasuke?" Naruto's eyes widened when he heard the familiar yet unwelcoming voice. Orochimaru and Kabuto fell beside Sasuke and smirked at Naruto.

"Orochimaru." Naruto growled. As much as he hated Orochimaru, he also secretly feared the rogue sannin. With these three, Naruto knew he had no chance to survive.

* * *

**Hope ya liked it...**

**I'm soooooooooooo tired...**

**Comment later...**

**Night...**

**Next Chapter: Fox Pack...**

******Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...**  



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